Colour Blind
by The Great Weiss Shark
Summary: Ruby was rooted to the ground unable to tear her eyes away from the picturesque woman. Her heart thrashed wildly against her chest, threatening to break free and follow the other artist home. She had never felt this way before. It scared her, but at the same time she had never felt more alive.
1. Chapter One

**Colour Blind**

 _The Great Weiss Shark_

 **Chapter One: Taken by This Feeling**

* * *

Chaos was going to either be a girl's best friend or worst enemy when it comes to winning a competition. One small slip-up and it was bye-bye grand prize for that unfortunate soul; they may as well have handed the oversized cheque to the next hopeful candidate themselves.

Stress and all that accompanies a high stakes competition left everyone on their toes, holding their breaths, and desperately praying to whichever deities they worshipped in hopes that they would be flawless in that one crucial moment. However, that still wouldn't stop a slip of the tongue, a clothing malfunction, or even a misplaced banana peel from dashing away hopes and dreams.

Chaos was a finicky little devil that changed favourites on a whim. The girl in favour this time around was Ruby Rose, a bright and clever young woman who had just recently turned twenty last month. She was simply beautiful with a tomboyish appeal, a toned physique that supported her active lifestyle, and the most dazzling silver eyes one could ever behold. Her natural rosewood coloured hair went well past her shoulders, and was usually kept in a messy ponytail; today was no different. Her layered fringe was swept to the right, tucked underneath a lock of hair that framed her petite face. And while her hairstyling abilities stopped at wild-n-free and boring-office-lady, the same couldn't be said about her outfits of choice.

Ruby adored—no, she loved the colour red. Every ensemble she put together in her modest closet required two things to be deemed wearable in public: a splash of red, and a whole lot of black to make it pop. This was who she was, and not even the prissy hipsters sneering at her could make her say otherwise. They may have the glitter and glam on their side, but hard work and talent were on hers. Ruby didn't need to gussy herself up to outshine her competitors. The painting she entered was a top contender—the obvious favourite—destined to be sold for an insane amount of money, and that alone was enough.

But of course that didn't mean she stood on stage in a garbage bag dress; she wasn't that desperate for attention. While the other finalists put on fancy gowns and complex outfits to match their painting, Ruby decided to show up in what she felt most comfortable in. She confidently wore her lucky black work boots (which had never really seen any work), a pair of faded, ripped blue jeans that were splotched with dollops of dried paint, a form-fitting black tank top that showed her impressive midriff, and wrapped tightly around her slim waist was a large red and black plaid shirt she stole from her boyfriend to keep him close.

While the judges deliberated amongst themselves, Ruby took the opportunity to see who she was up against. She didn't spot anyone noteworthy, and found herself holding back a childish giggle when she got a good look at some of their entries. The competition's objective was to capture a single moment from a fast paced, unforgettable memory. The artist was to also infuse every bit of emotion they felt when it happened. This was an easy subject, but not for everyone it seemed.

The competitor next to Ruby, a young man named Marx, painted an image of a woman, from the neck down, wearing a gaudy green dress at a dinner table with a guest whose face was obscured by a floral centerpiece. The point of view was done as if the artist had reverted back to adolescence and was curiously staring over her shoulder. Jealousy was poignant in the piece, and so was the feeling of hate, but those emotions were drowned out by the gargantuan flowers he used to fill the upper right corner of the canvas.

The person next to Marx took a similar approach and painted a fruit basket that was arranged rather salaciously. The next had a waterfall. And it just got worse the further down she stared. Ruby didn't even bother looking to her left knowing it was going to be just as bad. Sure this was a small time competition with a fairly modest cash prize, but it was still an opportunity to be seen and noticed. It made her feel sick to see these lackwits in the finals with her.

The head judge Don Juteau, a famous art collector and fashion designer, motioned for the other two judges to hush. In his hand was a sheet of paper naming everyone and their piece on stage. There were ten people all together with Ruby standing near the middle of the pack. Don's unnerving stare cut through the other contestants like a hot knife through butter, and one-by-one Ruby could feel her turn coming up.

It hadn't taken him long to pass over the cheesy waterfall, the sexy fruit basket, and the green lady. Don was looking bored and unimpressed when he landed on Ruby. She expected him to pass her over like he did the others, but instead, to her surprise and many others, he called her to step forward.

"Hi?" Ruby squeaked in a sudden panic. She hadn't been this nervous since her first year in highschool when her first friend there asked her out.

"Love Forever Falls," he said out loud, reading from his paper. "Interesting setting."

"There's a forest to the north of Beacon Academy—"

Don held his hand up. "I'm aware of that. What makes this place so special though? And why did it impact you enough to wage 35,000 lien on?"

"This was my first and last real memory with my mother," Ruby answered honestly. "Red is... Red is sort of my thing—Ruby Rose, heh—so when I see it or wear it, I can sort of feel her with me."

"I see..." Don hummed to himself as he and his fellow judges scribbled down some notes.

The judge to Don's right was a portly man with a handlebar mustache and center parted hair. He watched Ruby carefully with an all knowing smile and asked, "Why did you join this competition? Surely a bright young lass like yourself is already well on her way to greatness!"

"Thanks for that, but I'm kind of going through a thing..." Ruby said, rubbing her left arm shyly. "I didn't know what I really wanted to do when I was in school and messed up real bad. Now I'm kind of living paycheque to paycheque with my boyfriend in a tiny one bedroom apartment."

"Have you made any progress on finding your path?"

"I realized it a little too late," she explained. "When I was at my lowest, I lost my temper at the sandwich I was making and threw ketchup on the wall. I saw something and suddenly felt the urge to spread it around—I made a mess."

"What did you create?" Don asked.

"Forever Falls," Ruby answered with a half smile. "My mother was an artist, and up until that point I couldn't even draw a stick figure. It was like BAM! Insta-inspiration."

"But here you are now, a finalist!" Don cheered. "Your name, Rose, it sounds oddly familiar."

"My mom's name was Summer Rose."

Don's charming smile slowly faded away. "She was an amazing woman... I have a few of her pieces hanging up in my home. My favourite has got to be—"

"Vacuo Oasis," Ruby finishes with a giggle. "I keep tabs on all of my mom's work."

"Excellent idea," Don chuckled, his pen still gliding across the page in fluid motions. "I have one last question to ask, and this is only hypothetical, but what would you do if you won?"

The fire in Ruby's eyes burned even brighter than before. She had been waiting for this precise moment and was bursting at the seams with excitement. "I want to use a portion of that money so me and my boyfriend can finally get married. After that maybe put money down for an actual home, and eventually go back to school."

"Quite ambitious there," the head judge commented, "but a respectable answer nevertheless. Thank you, Ms. Rose. You may step back now."

Ruby felt a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over her like an unexpected heavy rain during a severe drought. She had wowed the judges with her story, swayed them with her charm, and got them to emotionally invest in her when she started to cry. The other competitors might aswell go home now, because Ruby definitely had this in the bag.

Unfortunately, Ruby took her victory lap a little too soon and tripped over a small hurdle. A really cute hurdle. With a really, really cute scowl.

It started with a judge gasping in surprise. And like cascading dominoes falling from opposite sides, all eyes collapsed in to a single piece. A young woman, two contestants down from Ruby, who stood poised and proud with her head held high. She had the visage of utter perfection, like a snowflake without match or equal. The beautiful artist looked so delicate and fragile in her simple white dress that a fleeting gaze from the corner of one's eye could make her vanish. And just like the blizzard raging violently in her painting, she too appeared to be made of ice with her snow-white hair, pearlescent pale sapphire eyes, and porcelain skin.

Ruby was rooted to the ground unable to tear her eyes away from the picturesque woman. Her heart thrashed wildly against her chest, threatening to break free and follow the other artist home. She had never felt this way before. It scared her, but at the same time she had never felt more alive. There was something special about this woman, something that made her standout on a metaphysical level that surpassed her gorgeous appearance. Destiny, that's what it was. Fate had tied her to this perfect stranger, and there wasn't a single ounce of doubt in her that said otherwise.

Don leaned forward, his elbows planted firmly on the table, and rested his chin over his folded over hands. He smiled at her warmly, but that quickly faded away when she looked back at him with cool indifference.

"Ms. Weiss Schnee, could you please step forward and tell us a little about your piece?"

Ruby's breath hitched at the sound of her angel's name—Weiss Schnee. She repeated it over and over again in her head, never once growing tired of it. And when Weiss pulled away from the row of hopeful winners, Ruby finally saw just how stunning she really was. She begged and pleaded for her heart to still, but it was no use. The sight of Weiss' unobscured lithe figure and sharp featured face had Ruby writhing on the inside begging for her to look her way.

It was absolute torture to keep staring at her now. Ruby had never been one to cave into her carnal desires, yet as of this moment that was all she wanted to do. She fantasized about how it would feel to touch and caress every inch of her, to map out that gorgeous body and find all the treasures it had hidden. The desire was so strong she wanted to grab her and kiss her until her knees gave in, then unravel her side-ponytail and watch it fall over her shoulders like a grand flurry of snow. There was so much she wanted to do, but Ruby was in full control and refused to let herself express anything other than a healthy curiosity. The salacious thoughts bubbling in her head were hers alone for now at least.

"This is Atlas," Weiss said in a soft bell-like voice, "my home."

"Ah, I am familiar with the chilly city!" the handlebar mustached judge exclaimed ecstatically. "It's a beautiful winter wonderland with so many unique attractions."

"Don't forget the mountains," the third judge said, finally breaking her silence.

"Weiss, my dear, I love how you made a scene like this pop!" Don said. "Snow covered trees and bushes all highlighted by a shade of blue that matches your eyes. And that wonderful use of red in those branches, I love it!"

"What do you call it?" asked the mustached judge.

The frosty woman tilted her head slightly to the right and clenched her jaw. "Nature's Wrath," she answered bluntly. "Nothing stronger or more fearsome than a force you cannot control."

"Impressive," Don hummed. "What exactly drew you to this competition? No pun intended."

"I just want my art to be seen. Any exposure is great exposure, and being around my fellow finalists is a refreshing sight for my stagnating muse."

"And what about the prize money? What would you do with it?"

"I don't need the money. I am here only for my art."

Don raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Good answer. Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner."

"No deliberation?" the mustached judge asked.

"The only ones that have caught my eye are Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee." Don quickly scanned the dejected contestants with a sweeping gaze. He watched their faces shift from surprised to angry, and laughed when two people walked off the stage. Don's wandering eyes return to Weiss' looking even more certain of his hasty decision. "While I enjoyed the heavy red palette Ms. Rose used, I am drawn more towards this howling storm of yours. And the splashes of red, so minute yet visually captivating; I can't get enough!"

"Thank you," Weiss said with a curtsy.

Three more people left the stage in a fit of rage.

"Excuse me, but how can these half-assed paintings be better than mine?" Marx seethed. "This bitch just slapped a shit ton of red paint on the canvas and calls it a forest. And that perfect little twat did the exact same, but in white! I mean look at it! There's nothing there!"

Angered by the audacity of the fledgling artist, Don leaned back into his chair and let out a booming laugh. "What gives you the right to criticize these young ladies? Have you seen the travesty you're so proud of?"

"T-Travesty?!" Marx screened in indignation.

"Yes, a travesty."

"Mister... I'm sorry, what was your name again?" the judge to Don's left asked.

"Marx Marquis."

"Yes, Mr. Marquis, how familiar are you with the concept 'less is more'?"

"What does that have to do with his decision?" Marx shouted, pointing at Don with a shaky finger.

"The reason why Love Forever Falls and Nature's Wrath were singled out was because of that," she clarified. "The leaves in Ms. Rose's painting were done one-by-one. And to put even more detail in, she added the veins running through each individual leaf."

"My painting is full of detail!"

"But all we see is a centerpiece," Don argued. "Anyway, my decision has been made. You may leave the stage now."

"You're making a mistake!" Marx screamed at the top of his lungs. "And you," he said snarling at Ruby and Weiss, his eyes burning with absolute hatred, "this won't be the last you'll hear of me."

"Hey, back off creep!" Ruby growled defensively. She didn't care if the immature artist spoke ill of her, but seeing the way he eyed Weiss made her beyond furious. "Weiss won this competition fair and square."

"Princess here probably bribed the judges," Marx sneered. "Wouldn't put it past her to bang 'em while she was at it."

"Alright that is enough!" Don bellowed angrily. "Leave now or I will have you escorted out!"

"Whatever," Marx said, flipping the judges off.

The auditorium remained silent until Marx left. The five people remaining let out a collective sigh of relief when the belligerent fool was out if sight.

"Well then," Don sighed, "congratulations to the both of you. Ms. Schnee, you've won the prize and my artistic heart. Your entry shall hang on my wall right next to Ms. Rose's if she'll be willing to part with it for a reasonable sum."

"Y-You want to buy this?" Ruby stammered, voice shakier than the finger she pointed at her art. She watched the wealthy collector for any sign of deceit, but found nothing other than genuine interest. "This has got to be dream..."

"This is no joke, I assure you."

"I'll be up there close to my mother's..."

"You will accept then?"

Ruby didn't hesitate a moment longer and accepted the generous offer. Having her work displayed in Don's home meant that the celebrities visiting him would see it. And that meant that the opportunities for exposure were positively endless if she could pique the interest of an A-lister.

Inspiration hit her like an epiphany .

Sketching wasn't enough to capture the beauty blossoming forth from her imagination. She needed a canvas. She needed to paint. She needed to get home.

The rush of inspiration had Ruby so worked up and distracted, she couldn't remember packing her bags that night or getting up early to check out of the hotel the following morning. It was only when an unforgettable bell-like voice called out for her did she regain her senses.

"Ruby Rose!"

The call was hard to ignore. Never before had she heard her boring old name sound so crisp and refreshing. It was almost as if she and everyone she knew had been saying it wrong all her life, and was now hearing it said properly for the first time. The way it rolled off of Weiss' tongue was akin to a roaring river surging through a glacier—powerful, pure, and confident. It made Ruby's knees weak imagining the snowy woman's breathy voice whispering her name in her ear between contented moans and sighs.

"Ruby Rose!" Weiss shouted again between labored breaths, snapping Ruby out of her fantasy. She had clearly sprinted from God knows where to catch her, but for what reason Ruby didn't know. "Do you know how difficult it was to find you?"

Ruby slowly backed away from the shorter woman making her way towards her. The way her clear blue eyes focused on her made Ruby feel like a doe being cornered by a ravenous wolf. Weiss' stare made her tremble. As delicate and fragile as the icy woman seemed on the outside, there was a predator within her that couldn't be ignored.

"U-Uh, can I help you?" Ruby stammered, her back pressed against a ceiling-high column.

"No," Weiss snarled, her face stopping mere inches away from Ruby's. Her breathing had finally evened, but Weiss still seemed angry for spending her time hunting Ruby down. People were beginning to stare, but the determination in Weiss' eyes did not waver.

Ruby gulped.

"I'm actually here to help you."

"Doesn't sound that way," Ruby muttered under her breath. She could have sworn Weiss was farther away, so how exactly did she get so close? But before Ruby could conjure up a plausible theory, a striking thought about their close proximity brought Weiss' delectable pink lips into view.

The young artist was drawn towards them, her eyes mesmerized by the way they moved as she spoke. Each syllable she eloquently pronounced added to the allure Ruby felt. And by the time she had finished talking, Ruby was more interested in how Weiss' lips remained so soft and inviting despite being being pulled into a thin scowl.

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?" the irresistible grump huffed.

"Yeah, sorry... My head tends to wander sometimes," Ruby fibbed through tightly gritted teeth. She couldn't tell this perfectly perfect stranger in front of her that she was fantasizing about kissing her until her knees buckled in—that would have been both rude and awkward—so she lied.

"I see..." Weiss hummed, buying Ruby's little white lie. "Allow me to repeat myself then."

"Okay?"

"Take the prize money. Go on, take it."

"Wait, back up—what?"

Weiss held a thick envelope up to Ruby and said, "I meant what I said on that stage. I'm not here for the money."

"Think about what you're saying for a sec!"

Weiss shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, sighing in aggravation. "Do you want it or not?"

Shaking her head, Ruby struggled to decline the life changing amount held in front of her. "That's thirty-five grand you're waving there."

"So?" Weiss deadpanned.

"'So'? That's all you can say? 'So'?!" The exasperated redhead smacked her forehead wondering if the woman was for real. "That's an insane amount! You can do so much with that."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "This? This is pocket money to me—'chump change' as you young people call it these days. Now you can either accept my generosity or I give this cheque to the next halfwit that walks past me. Oh, I see one coming. Excuse me, sir—"

"I'll take it! I'll take it, alright?" Ruby said finally giving in to temptation and taking the envelope. The triumphant huntress smirked. "But can you tell me why at least? Because there has to be a reason..."

"You deserve it," Weiss answered smoothly, her demeanor changing to a more inviting stance. "Your painting was beautiful. And I must begrudgingly admit that you should have won."

"Wow," Ruby gasped, a deep blush flourishing on her cheeks. "So are you—I mean so is yours, thank you... Ugh, why am I so awkward?"

"People tend to get tongue tied in my presence. I take it as a compliment." Weiss didn't wait for Ruby to comment. She smiled politely and bid her farewell. "My business with you is complete, so I shall be going now. Take care, Ruby Rose. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future."

"You take care of yourself, too."

The memory of Weiss walking away stayed with Ruby throughout her five hour flight home. While her trip as a whole was uneventful, meeting Weiss was something she could have never expected. She had stirred something slumbering deep within Ruby's subconscious. Something she never knew laid inside her until that day. It was a strange and mystifying sensation that was hard to describe. She supposed it was closest to the term "desire", mostly because she felt something remotely similar when she really wanted a sandwich. Or maybe that was a craving? Whatever the case was, Ruby was happy to feel it.

That joy, however, died the moment she walked into her apartment and found her boyfriend having breakfast with another woman—her friend and former mentor, Pyrrha Nikos.

Ruby couldn't believe her eyes. "Jaune, what's going on here?"

"Ruby, you're home early!" he gasped in surprise. "I-I wasn't expecting you home till later."

"Pyrrha...?" she said turning to the other woman with hurt in her eyes. "I was only gone for three days."

"I can explain!" Jaune said as he clambered to the door. He desperately grabbed her arm, but Ruby instinctively ripped it away with a strength she never knew she had and slapped him with just as much force.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Okay, I deserved that," Jaune groaned as he rubbed his throbbing cheek, tears lining the edges of his eyes. "Could you calm down? You're making a scene."

"Screw you! You don't get to tell me that," the scorned woman seethed. "After everything I've done for, all the things I put up with... You... How could you do this to me?"

"Please just let me explain," he said trying to quell her rage. "Let's just sit down and talk."

"Are you going to tell me you didn't mean to accidentally screw Pyrrha behind my back?!" Ruby shouted. "Or maybe you're going to drop the 'I never really loved you' line. Oh that's rich, you really had me going there."

"Ruby, I do love you!" Jaune professed. "I really do!"

"How could you, Jaune?" Ruby asked in a much quieter voice, her anger all but gone. "I trusted you. I-I thought..."

"Please, just let me explain!"

Ruby shot murderous glare at the woman sitting in her chair, wearing her robe, and drinking coffee out of her mug. It was obvious what happened during her absence, and it made her sick just thinking about it.

"There's nothing here that needs to be clarified," Ruby chuckled snidely. "I was finally out of the way, so you went out to play."

"No, that isn't what—"

"Save it, vomit boy." Ruby held her hand up to his face signaling the end of their conversation. "I wouldn't put out, so you found someone else who would. Good for you. Good for the both of you."

"Please listen, I—"

"I'll have someone come get my things within the week," she said, wiping her tears away. "You won't see me again. Don't contact me. Ever. I won't bother you, so don't bother me."

"Ruby, please!"

"I hope you two the best," the vexed redhead said with a sweet smile. She pushed Jaune back into the dingy apartment and slammed the door shut behind her. Hearing him curse her name made her recall a small, unimportant issue they tackled as a couple. Without notice, she reopened the door accidentally knocking Jaune back down when she poked her head in. "Forgot to mention something really important: I didn't pay the rent yet. Get a job, you hobo. Bye Pyrrha, he's your problem now."

Saying those final words may have been immature of her, but they felt far too satisfying for her to regret. She had been supporting them both for the past year and a half, working two part-time jobs and freelancing on the side. Jaune had quit his dead-end job on a belief that he would do better being his own boss. He had plans to start his own business, and Ruby had foolishly believed in him and his dreams like a naive girl in love would. She dropped out of University, took any job that would have her and went from there. But now she was free with more money in the bank than she knew what do with.

The first step she took as an independent woman felt great. Just like how she felt on the stage when Don offered to buy her painting, Ruby was ready for success to come her way. But the further away she drew from her old life and closer to her new one, the harder it was to breathe.

Ruby was an absolute mess by the time she exited the apartment complex. She sunk to her knees using her suitcase for support as she cried. She heaved and sputtered endlessly as she fumbled with her smartphone. The lock screen was a picture she took of Jaune sleeping soundly with his teddy bear the morning she left. Ruby thought it was adorable then, but now it was a memento that needed to burn.

"Come on you stupid piece of junk," Ruby hissed as she impatiently swiped her thumb across the screen. "Unlock! Unlock God damn you!"

After five failed attempts, Ruby managed to unlock her phone and navigate a trembling finger towards her contact list. She scrolled down to the bottom and called the one person she knew who would never let her down.

"Hey, Ruby! Are you finally back in town? Do you need a ride home?"

Ruby wiped away her tears feeling slightly better after hearing her sister's voice. "Y-Yeah, I'm back home. And I do need a ride, can you come get me?"

"Yeah. Sure. Definitely... Is everything alright?" Yang asked sounding worried. "Where are you?"

"I'm not alright," Ruby sobbed quietly. "I'm... I'm in front of my apartment. Please come quick."

"I'm already in the car. I'll be there in fifteen, sit tight."

"Thanks, sis."

"I'll stay on the—get out of my way, asshole! Yeah, yeah fuck you, too, kumquat—sorry about that, Rubes."

Ruby laughed at her sister's road rage and said, "If you get a ticket, I got it covered."

"Hah! The pigs actually have to catch me first!" Yang boasted proudly. "Hang tight, I'm almost there."

Between Yang's reassuring words and colourful roadside commentary, Ruby found herself feeling unnervingly serene after the shock subsided. In truth she knew her relationship was doomed for quite some time now. They didn't have much in common, could never agree on anything, and she was sure he secretly resented her for excelling in all the things he failed to accomplish during school. Ruby laughed at that last thought.

She had so many good memories of her time with Jaune before their romantic relationship started. He was her first friend in a scary new world, and she was eternally grateful for his patience and understanding. He was her best friend, her first love—was it really even love? Ruby thought abruptly. She scratched the top of her head trying to recall the truth, but nothing came to mind. Oddly enough, her thoughts quickly left her problematic relationship behind and gravitated towards a certain mysterious stranger with the haunting gaze.

True to her word, Yang was front of Ruby's apartment within fifteen minutes. The familiar yellow sports sedan with black racing stripes, aptly named "Bumblebee", was a sight for sore eyes; Ruby couldn't wait to get away. Yang got out of her car, her signature wild blonde hair tied in a loose ponytail, and charged towards Ruby, embracing her immediately.

"I missed you!" Yang said, throttling her little sister from side to side.

"I missed you, too." Ruby frantically clawed at her sister's shoulders, mindful of the older woman's treasured golden mane. "Yang, can't breathe! Can't breathe!"

"Oh, whoopies." Yang set Ruby down gently, and held her an arm's length away to get a proper look at her sibling. "You look like shit. What happened?" she asked completely serious.

"It's a long story," Ruby mumbled. "Can we get out of here please?"

Like the amazing sister she was, Yang didn't question Ruby and led her to the car. She insisted on putting Ruby's luggage in the trunk despite vehement opposition from the owner.

"I can do it!" Ruby said stubbornly.

Yang hoisted the large suitcase off the ground and pointed towards the empty front seat of her car. "Sit your butt down, I got this."

"But your back!"

"My back is fine," Yang said confidently. "Get in the car!"

"At least let me help you—"

"It's in the trunk already!" Yang proclaimed victoriously with a wide grin.

"You are impossible!"

Yang snickered at her sister's flustered face as she got into the driver's seat. "Impossibly awesome? Yeah, I know."

"Blake is going to kill you when she finds out," Ruby chided the stubborn as a mule woman. "Didn't you spend a week on the futon last time?"

"She won't know as long as you don't tell her!"

"I am so going to tell her."

"Ruby, no!" Yang desperately yelled.

The redhead's smirk widened. "Ruby, yes!"

Yang threw her hands up and seceded. She didn't like arguing with her sister, even more so when she made a valid point. Lifting that case was probably a bad idea—scratch that, it was definitely a bad idea. Yang winced as a sudden sharp sting sent violent ripples of pure agony down her spine. The dry, all-knowing look Ruby sent her way made the pain practically unbearable.

"Don't you dare say it," the prideful blonde groaned. Her fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Ruby clicked her tongue and looked away. "I'm not going to say anything. That face your making is going to do it for me."

There wasn't much Yang could say against her sister's claim. Everyone acquainted with her knew how prideful she was and how stubborn she could get. But those closest to her understood that the truth went deeper than that.

Yang had her reasons. She needed to be strong, to be invulnerable and undefeated, to become the rock everyone needed to stay grounded. It wasn't narcissism that pushed her to such lengths. She just to be someone who could protect her little sister. So when faced against Ruby, the mighty lioness reverted to a timid cub with no fight.

"But since you came to get me, I guess I could do you a solid and cover for you." Ruby sent her ecstatic sibling a sidelong glance. "Just take it easy, alright?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my baby sister?" Yang returned the look with suspicion.

Shrugging, Ruby went back to watching the scenery pass by.

They remained in a comfortable silence for the duration of the drive. Yang could tell by the far-off look on Ruby's face that the younger woman needed some space to think. Normally the drive back to her house would take twenty to thirty minutes, but Yang took extra turns to purposely drag out the time they spent on the road. Ruby noticed that they were closer to the city limits than the blonde's home and smiled. It was moments like these that made tolerating her sister's excessive overprotectiveness worthwhile.

Yang shut the radio and the air-conditioning off, and rolled down their windows. Startled by the wind suddenly whipping her hair back, Ruby instinctively looked to her big sister for answers. She opened her mouth to say something, but the way Yang looked forward without so much as a glance her way told Ruby all she needed to know. The heartbroken redhead went back to resting her head on her folded over arms, enjoying the fresh air rushing past her. She took in a deep breath to clear her head and free her of all thought. It worked for an astonishing two seconds before Jaune wormed his way back in.

She had spent the time waiting for Yang crying her heart out. She wasn't too sad their relationship was over. It surprised her how little she cared about that. In fact she was actually quite relieved. While Jaune didn't outright pressure her to take their intimacy further, she could tell the desire to was there. From the way he looked at her to the way he held onto a hug a couple seconds too long, she knew it was only a matter of time.

The thought of sleeping with Jaune left a sour taste in her mouth. She cared about him, he was also fairly attractive, so why didn't she feel that same desire? Desire. There it was again. Her thoughts involving Weiss were intense, and made the act she denied her former boyfriend sound so simple and natural. Kisses were no longer forced or used as a sign of gratitude. Instead they were done for her own pleasure and tasted sweeter than ambrosia. And the feather light touches that once made her skin crawl, were now sensual and enticing.

She was correct in her earlier assumption that what she felt was a craving. The things that came to mind when she thought of Weiss were like the scenes in romance movies where the protagonist was in bed with their love interest for the first time. There was a sense of apprehension when they stared into each other's eyes before they kissed, and then that first touch... Ruby wanted that. She wanted that with Weiss, a complete stranger she may never meet again. But that was more than enough to satisfy the question she had lingering in the back of her mind since junior high school.

"Yang," Ruby called quietly.

"Yeah?"

Ruby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I think I'm interested in women."

"I know," Yang replied with a knowing smile.

"I also met someone," Ruby sadly continued, her voice trembling as she spoke. "But I don't think I'll ever see her again."

"Don't worry. If it's meant to be, I'm sure you'll see her again."

"I hope so, Yang..."

The sound of Ruby's sobs were carried away by the wind before they could reach Yang's ears. Yet despite Ruby's stillness, Yang could still tell her sister was crying. The young woman was finally growing up, and Yang couldn't be any prouder.

* * *

 **One Year Later**

* * *

A lot had happened since Ruby said goodbye to Jaune. Some good, some bad, but overall she was happy. When the news spread about the break-up, people Ruby had lost contact with over the years were suddenly back giving their full support. Ruby was ecstatic to have someone other than Yang or Blake to talk to again. And thanks to the money from the competition, Ruby got to check off several items on her list of independence.

The first thing she invested on was a new-to-her car. She had relied on Jaune's rustbucket to get around before, but now she was cruising in style in a vehicle she had always dreamed of owning. It was amazing being behind the wheel. She could go anywhere whenever she wanted without having to ask permission or worry about wasting gas. Surprisingly, the activities she enjoyed the most were mundane, day-to-day things. Grocery shopping was probably her favourite.

Ruby had always dreaded it, because each trip would became all about Jaune's allergies and Pyrrha's latest health kick. But now it was as a breeze since she didn't have to listen to him whine for hours on end. It was a literal load off her back shopping by herself.

Sadly, the smell of freedom soon lost it's allure. After the first two months of being a single woman, Ruby was at a loss. Her passion for art had waned and lost its appeal, so she decided to quit pursuing it as a career. There were a number of reasons that contributed to this decision, two of which were out of her control. Even if her bank account was in the six digit range, painting materials were still expensive and required a lot space, space she no longer had since she now lived with her sister and her girlfriend, Blake.

So to keep her skills from rusting, Ruby pulled out her trusty sketchbook and pencils. Now this was a great compromise at first. Ruby got to continue being an artist, and at the same time didn't take up precious space. However, what she soon realized was that not even her art was safe from her infatuation with Weiss Schnee.

This was the final deciding factor that made her quit. Ruby needed to forget Weiss, not fall deeper in love with her. She couldn't keep torturing herself over a woman she would probably never meet again. But page after page, book after book—all filled with sketches of Weiss—it was becoming clear to Ruby that her heart was not willing to let this one go. So she let it be and stopped fighting. If her heart was happy keeping the futile feelings alive, then Ruby might as well make use of it.

Her flourishing social life came with many positive benefits that helped get her life back on track. She tried new things, talked to more people, and eventually found the courage to confront the crippling depression that voraciously sapped away her will to live and vanquished it—though this was only a passing comment from Blake during dinner. Ruby wasn't even aware of how miserable she seemed to those she cared about until that point. From there, she decided it was time to change and let go of all her emotional baggage. Sadly, the a horde of suitors suddenly vying for her attention did not count as "baggage".

Ruby had grown confident over this time and turned each person down, and when asked for a reason she would answer honestly. She was in love with someone else. However, not everyone got the message. One man was particularly persistent and refused to take "No" for an answer. Thankfully, Yang's fiery temper had him limping away in terror. Accepting her newly realized sexual identity was scary at first, but thanks to her friends' and family's support she wore it like a badge of courage.

Speaking of Yang and Blake, it was nice living with them. But Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that she was intruding. She needed something to keep her out of the house for long periods of time without offending her gracious hosts. Ruby thought long and hard, but decided that the best solution to her problem was to rectify the biggest mistake she had ever made: dropping out of school.

Between working her dead-end jobs and painting, Ruby always made sure to leave time to review her textbooks. She had it all memorized by heart now, and was itching to showcase her knowledge. She was so close to earning her bachelor's degree in engineering when she left. So Ruby figured that the obvious course of action for her was to finish what she started. But the problem now was if she was ready to.

The answer to Ruby's new dilemma was her old friend Penny, who coincidentally was also her youngest friend. Penny had recently graduated high school and was going to the same university this coming fall. It was a stroke of good luck for both young women since neither had any friends doing the same.

Ruby pulled her sleeve back to look at her wristwatch for the twentieth time that hour. She was standing outside of Tukson's Book Trade waiting for Penny's shift to end. The girl should have been done half an hour ago, but a couple of teenagers no older than her refused leave. They were looking for a specific series and had Tukson, the owner, scour the backroom for it. He couldn't leave the store unattended, so he asked if Penny wouldn't mind staying until the matter was settled. And Penny being the most dutiful of employees agreed without hesitation.

"So bored!" Ruby groaned loudly, dragging both hands down her face. She peeked into the store window to check up on the situation, but nothing had changed. Inside was a young man with silver hair. He was flipping through a comic book, laughing hysterically, while the green haired woman beside him berated Penny. "Oh come on! Just leave already!"

The one reading the comic book looked up and saw Ruby making weird face at them. He nudged the girl beside him to look back, but Ruby had quickly moved out of sight when she got spotted.

"That was way too close," Ruby breathed.

Ruby closed her eyes and sighed. She hated waiting. If she had known this was going to happen, she would have stayed in her car or something else—anything would have been a better use of her time than whatever it was she was currently doing.

With her patience officially drained, Ruby decided to go to the café across the street. She had passed it many times before, but never once went in. It had this high-class, sophisticated look to it that deterred Ruby whenever she set eyes on it. Maybe it was the fancy layered maroon brick exterior, or the pretentious window box planters growing red roses, or the snooty royal blue curtains, but the café "Fleur-de-lis" unsettled her. However, Ruby was thirsty and the only other option was an infamous coffee franchise. Ruby wasn't about to waste money on overpriced coffee. She was smarter than that.

"Snooty Café better have soda," she grumbled to herself as she looked both ways to cross the street.

And that was when she saw her.

"Weiss..." Ruby gasped. "It's Weiss..."

Sitting at the table closest to the cafe's large window, was the woman who had haunted her dreams for the past year. Ruby's thoughts and feelings had diminished slowly over the course of time, but she could never really forget about her.

 _ **Honk!**_

* * *

 _ **Please leave a review if you enjoyed this first chapter.**_


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: Razzle Dazzle**

* * *

Life was strange, incomprehensible, and most of the time, utterly unfair. It gave opportunities for the wicked to gain power and stole what little the poor had left. Ruby knew she wasn't destined to be one of the greats or to be someone written into the pages of history as some revolutionary saint. But she was still a person who had not seen all that life had to offer. Yet here she was, knocked to the ground, clutching her sides in absolute agony.

 _'The irony is too much,'_ she thought cynically, a small wry smile cracking through her pained expression. ' _I finally got to see her after all this time, but now I'm going to die without ever getting to know her.'_

"Are you alright? Can you hear me?" a sultry voice filled with worry called out.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I-I only looked way for a split second!" a distinctively masculine voice stuttered.

"Calm down, sir."

"H-How can I?! I just hit the poor girl!"

"We don't need you going into hysterics, so just take a step back and breathe for a second."

Ruby forced an eye open, but the glare from the mid-summer's sun was blinding. The incessant ringing in her ears made focusing impossible as well as muddling the voice calling out to her. She tried to respond many times, but the pain was too much.

The person calling out leaned in closer, gently caressing Ruby's cheek to brush the hair out of her eyes. "Are you alright?" they repeated, their voice much clearer than before.

Ruby's slowly adjusted to the shade the stranger's shadow provided and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Am I dead?" she asked, her voice weak and raspy. "Because there's an angel in front of me."

Weiss raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Fortunately for you, no. Now get up."

"What? I can't! I'm injured!" Ruby exclaimed pitifully at her angel's lack of tact. "I could be bleeding to death—oh god, am I bleeding to death?"

"Whoa, slow down."

"I'm too pretty to die..." Ruby sobbed dramatically.

"Ruby—ugh, get up you dolt!" Weiss angrily sighed. "You're fine, but we're holding up traffic."

"Screw traffic..."

"You're over reacting," Weiss barked, trying her best to pull the redhead up. "Come on, get up!"

"Miss, let me help!" begged the guilt-ridden driver.

"Thanks. She's heavier than she looks."

"The angel is mistaken!" Ruby shouted in her delirious state. "I am in fact lighter than I appear! Weiss, hold onto me tight or I'll float away."

"I think I might actually prefer that over hauling you back to the curb," Weiss muttered coldly.

The driver scurried to Ruby's left and asked for further instruction. The white-haired woman braced the base of Ruby's head with her hand as they moved her to an upright sitting position. Weiss quickly inspected Ruby for any head injuries she may have missed earlier. Ruby, on the other hand, was lost in the depths of Weiss' eyes.

She had dreamt about those beautiful blue orbs for so long that seeing them now was enough to halt her breathing. The lobby's lights did not do Weiss justice. They weren't like the faint blue glow on snow during the night or even the vibrant blue painted across the sky. They were gems, and it only took natural light to make them shine. Ruby had only seen these precious stones in ritzy jewelry shop once before, but their name had been ingrained into her memory: blue topaz. They were rare and far from perfect, but they were beautiful nevertheless.

While Ruby was busy with her musings, Weiss took the chance to grab the redhead's right arm and sling it across her shoulders. Once she had a firm grip on her forearm, Weiss looped her other arm around Ruby's waist.

"On three?" the driver asked.

Weiss nodded. "On three."

With the driver's help, Weiss was able to get Ruby off the road and back onto the sidewalk. Once Ruby was safe, the driver took their leave, but not before giving Weiss their contact information to pass on to Ruby. She was still fairly disoriented, but that was a good thing. It meant she wasn't dead. Though if Weiss kept looking at her the way she was, being dead might not be so bad.

"This isn't exactly how I imagined seeing you again," Weiss admitted rather coldly as she carefully propped Ruby up against the café wall. "What on Remnant were you thinking walking into the street like that?"

"You," Ruby sheepishly grinned. "I finally got to see you again and everything kind of just… y'know, poofed. I've wanted to see you again so badly."

"Well, I can't say I quite understand your fascination with me, but I am glad you are alright nevertheless." Weiss brushed Ruby's fringe to the side to get a better look at her now that the redhead was regaining coherency. "Do you think you can stand?"

Ruby blushed at their close proximity, her pounding ecstatically. She numbly nodded her head and followed Weiss back up. "Whoa!" Ruby yelped when a wave of vertigo hit. She lost her balance and expected to fall back in the wall, but was surprised when she found herself in the waiting arms of the woman she yearned for. "S-Sorry, stood up too quickly."

"What am I going to do with you?" Weiss sighed shaking her head ruefully. The slender arms loosely around Ruby's waist tightened ever so slightly, drawing her in closer. "Come inside, it'll be more comfortable resting in there than out here on concrete."

"Do they have soda?"

"What?"

"Soda. Carbonated drinks. The fizzy stuff packed with enough sugar to fill a sandwich bag."

Weiss raised a perfectly shaped brow at Ruby, her face showing mild disgust. "You are having water or tea and nothing else."

"But—" Ruby tried to protest, however, the nasty glint in Weiss' pretty blue eyes made her change her mind. "Water sounds good."

After making sure the grip she had on Ruby was secure, Weiss began leading her into the café. Ruby, wisely putting her injuries to good use, kept her arm slung over Weiss' petite shoulders, their heads pressed close together. Ruby faked a limp to deliberately slow them down so she could extend the time she spent enveloped in the small woman's intoxicating scent.

Ruby had never paid much attention to perfumes or body mists or any of the things normal girls busied themselves with. The smell of fresh paint or motor oil suited her just fine, but Yang wholeheartedly disagreed. She argued that since Ruby wasn't going to give up on her love, she might as well start preparing for the day they were reunited, because Destiny was a thing—or at least, it was according to Yang.

And being the incredibly reliable older sister she was, Yang told Ruby that the key to getting a refined woman like Weiss to notice her was through charm, confidence, and smell. It was quickly decided that Ruby had enough charm to make up for her lack of confidence, leaving only one thing left on the list. So Yang eagerly dragged Ruby to her favourite fragrance shop, which turned out to be a famous lingerie store, in the hopes of finding something that really matched her.

It took them sometime, but Ruby eventually found two she liked. The first had a fruity floral fragrance, something Ruby thought too sweet for her, with notes of passion fruit, peonies, and orchids. The second had a fresher, simpler scent reminiscent of cherry blossoms and peaches. Both smelled nice which made it even harder to choose. Yang told her that a perfume on one person can smell entirely different on another. To prove her point, she spritzed some on her wrist and told her to take a sniff; Ruby was surprised to find that it was true.

With a smile peppered with confidence, Ruby complimented Weiss' choice of fragrance.

"I'm not wearing anything," Weiss grunted out as she unceremoniously dropped Ruby into a chair then took the one adjacent to her. "I had a meeting shortly after my session at the gym. I could only manage a quick shower, however, thank you for the compliment."

"I-Is that so?" Ruby blushed at the playful smirk on Weiss' face.

"Waiter!" the brusque woman called out to a tall man setting a table, her hand raised to catch his attention.

He heard her call and finished his work before hurrying over to them. "Ms. Schnee, I wondered where you ran off to." He looked at Ruby quizzically and offered her a polite smile. "This is the first time I've seen you with someone other than Ms. Adel or Ms. Scarlatina." He bowed humbly at Ruby, "My name is Hamilton; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms…?"

Ruby blinked in confusion, not knowing how to properly respond to such formalities. A swift kick to her right shin had Ruby jumping in her seat blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. "Horse apples!"

"M-Ms. Apples?" the Waiter stuttered, visibly flustered at the strange name.

Ruby slammed her face down onto the table clutching her shin underneath. She seethed out a long string of incoherent profanities focused mainly on Weiss' poor treatment of her injured body.

"Your friend seems interesting, Ms. Schnee." Hamilton let out a hearty laugh that was betrayed by his forced smile.

"I would hardly call this imbecile an acquaintance," Weiss calmly responded, not hiding her icy demeanour. "The idiot stood out in the middle of the street staring at me like a fish out of water."

"Ughh…" Ruby groaned, unable lift her head up out of pure embarrassment. Weiss' words had stung, but they were true. She couldn't blame the woman for being honest.

"Anyway, could you get me my usual and a," Weiss paused hesitantly, "'soda' for the dolt."

The word sounded so foreign coming out of Weiss' mouth; it was actually rather cute. Ruby finally looked up, smiling sheepishly at the woman in white who seemed rather perturbed at the situation. Of course Weiss' last-second change of heart had a hand in raising Ruby's spirits, but that was water under the bridge.

"What soda would you like, Ms. Apples? We have Nuka Cola, Spritzed, and 11-Up, just to name a few."

"Huh?"

The corner of Weiss' upper lip hitched upwards as her eyes narrowed at Ruby in a look of absolute exasperation. "He means you."

"O-Oh! Right, um, s-sorry about the whole horse apples thing," Ruby apologized, laughing nervously. "My name's Ruby Rose, you can just call me 'Ruby' though. And I'd love a Nuka."

"One chamomile milk tea and a Nuka Cola coming right up," Hamilton beamed.

The two women watched him disappear into the back, neither daring to say a word. It was only when Hamilton returned with their beverages did one of them speak.

"Well," Weiss began, "that was an ordeal and a half."

Ruby giggled at her. "You can say that again."

"No. I hate repeating myself," Weiss shot back mercilessly.

"Chill, it's an expression."

"The temperature is rather bracing in here, but compared to the blaring heat outside, it's quite welcomed."

"You're doing this on purpose now, aren't you?" Ruby took an eager sip of her soda, happily enjoying the fizzy sensations welling in her mouth, much to Weiss' chagrin. "Oh man, that hit spot!"

"The only thing that got hit here is you," Weiss sneered with a bit of concern lacing her sharp words. "Are you sure you're really alright? I'm not going to open tomorrow's newspaper and see your dopey face in the obituaries am I?"

"Relax," Ruby chuckled. "That was barely a love tap."

"I disagree; I saw you get tossed aside like a ragdoll."

"Eh, it caught me by surprise," the redhead shrugged. "I'm actually more surprised to see you… if that wasn't obvious enough…"

The admission left Weiss feeling rather pleased, but it didn't stop her from shooting down Ruby's excitement—not that it had any real effect on her.

"Getting hit by a car is a terrible way to get someone's attention."

Ruby grinned at the opening for a rebuttal. "I disagree!" she said mimicking Weiss rather poorly. "No matter what you say, I still got your attention and made you come get me."

"Noted. The next time you attempt something so foolish, I shall pay you no mind and continue on with my day."

"What?! No! Not cool, Ice Queen!" Ruby was about to complain but stopped when she realized the implication of Weiss' aloof reaction. "There's going to be a next time? Meaning you'd be cool to hangout with me?"

"I wouldn't exactly phrase it… like that… but yes, I would be open to another meeting with you."

The overly stiff response was so typically Weiss it made Ruby fall in love all over again. The way she tried so hard to sound cold and disinterested made dissecting Weiss' every word for a deeper meaning more fun than any game Ruby had ever played.

It was reassuring to know that the Weiss in Ruby's head was close to the real deal. All the time she had spent replaying the few words they shared last year had warped the memory into some gross amalgamation of Ruby's fantasies. It was actually starting to resemble a comic panel with flowers blooming behind Weiss as she handed Ruby the prize money… the prize money… Jaune…

"A year has passed, hasn't it?" Weiss' quiet voice broke Ruby out of her thoughts just in time to avoid going into territory she'd like to forget. "How are things with your boyfriend, or should I say husband? You sounded quite eager to get married the last time we spoke." Or so she thought. Weiss caught onto the sour look on Ruby's face and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, should I not have brought that up?"

"I-It's alright, you had no way of knowing…" Ruby gave the worried woman a small, lopsided smile. "We broke up the day I got back actually."

"I'm terribly sorry…"

"Like I said, it's fine." Ruby was genuinely happy to find that she wasn't hung up on the matter. It still left a bitter taste in her mouth, but that was only because it meant she lost too good friends that day. "I was actually kind of relieved."

"Oh?"

"Yeah… I kind of met someone else," Ruby blushed. "They're everything I could ever dream off."

"Must be nice," Weiss responded with a knowing look in her eyes.

Ruby watched her "acquaintance" drink their tea with a, as Weiss so aptly put it, dopey smile. She sighed longingly at the regal woman, taking in everything about her visage before the fleeting moment of peace ended.

"Ruby," Weiss said as she put her empty teacup back onto its saucer, "may I cut to the chase?"

Ruby nodded her head. "Sure, what's up, Weiss?"

"One does not simply lose sight of their surroundings when a… _friend_ … is involved."

"Oh, um…"

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Weiss looked Ruby in the eyes with unflinching resolve, "but you are attracted to me, yes?"

Ruby returned the gaze and said, "Yes."

"Then it wouldn't be presumptuous of me to ask for your contact information?"

"Just give me a pen and something to write it on, or we can just exchange scroll numbers because that's a thing."

Weiss shook her head. "I left my purse at the university."

"Then when we see Hamilton again I'll ask to borrow a pen."

"Excellent," Weiss said curtly.

"Can I ask you a question, then?" Ruby asked tilting her head to the left. A simple nod was all she received from her stoic companion. "You're not stringing me along, right?"

The ice surrounding Weiss' expression melted as a beautiful smile blossomed. "The attraction is most definitely mutual, Ruby."

"Oh," Ruby grinned, "awesome."

"You are an interesting individual, but as much as I would love to continue our conversation… it appears you have a prior commitment to attend to." Weiss looked to the window, guiding Ruby's love struck gaze to a furious young lady in green with bright orange hair.

"Oh shit, Penny! I totally forgot!" Ruby yelped in panic, shooting up from her chair and consequently forgetting about her minor injuries. She fell back into her chair sniffling at the throbbing sting emanating from her shin.

"Is everything alright?" Hamilton's familiar voice cut in.

Ruby looked up at the man, tears pricking her eyes. "Perfect timing! I need a pen and something to write on." Hamilton ripped a page out of his pocket notebook and offered her his pen. "Thanks man, you're a lifesaver."

"Thank you, Ms. Rose."

"Oh yeah, how much for the soda?" she asked whilst furiously jotting down her number.

"Put it on my tab and get out, your friend looks about ready to explode." Weiss said, laughing lightheartedly.

"I can't do that!"

"Too late, now go, you dunce."

Looking between Hamilton and Weiss, Ruby knew her odds of coming out alive was shrinking the longer she kept Penny waiting. "Fine," Ruby conceded. "You win this round, but I'm paying you back by taking you somewhere nice! You better call me tonight or else."

"'Or else, what?" Weiss smirked.

"I don't know yet, but it won't be pleasant!"

"Alright, I will. It was good seeing you again, Ruby."

"Yeah, same here."

* * *

 **Well this update took a friggen century and a half, sorry about that. Drop a review and let me know your thoughts.**


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three:** **Glitz and Glam**

* * *

"So… who was that?" Penny asked matching Ruby's stride carefully. "She was really pretty!" she added rather suddenly making Ruby stumble forward in surprise. But thankfully Penny's quick reflexes saved her, though her grip was a little too tight for the painter's liking. "Be careful, Ruby!"

"Uh, thanks…" Ruby responded bashfully rubbing the back of neck.

After she steadied herself Ruby dared a sideways glance over to Penny, hopelessly praying that other girl's curiosity was forgotten. Weiss wasn't exactly a secret. Everyone knew Ruby lost the competition to someone extraordinary, she just preferred to keep Weiss' identity to herself. Like a precious memory that slowly changed after each fervent retelling, Ruby wanted to keep the image of Weiss' graceful victory just the way it was. It didn't matter how imaginative a person could be. Because simply picturing Weiss bathed in the soft, dim light of the stage with her white dress sparkling like snow would do the ethereal snow angel a gross injustice. She needed to be seen in person to fully believe that beauty could in fact be summarized in a word, a name—Weiss. But Penny was a resilient girl who hardly ever gave up, so to avoid a whole mess of trouble Ruby reluctantly answered.

"You remember that art thing I went to, like, a year ago?" she asked, her whole face heating up faster than a cracked egg on the sizzling tarmac.

Penny kept a firm grip on Ruby's arm and shoulders, concern clear across her youthful face. "I do recall, yes."

"Well," Ruby said sucking in a mouthful of air, "that was the winner."

"Oh, wow!"

"'Wow' indeed," Ruby grinned. "She's really something else… I mean, who gives a complete stranger their hard earned prize money?"

"I'd give it to you," Penny cut in cheerily.

"Thanks, Pen. But you're my best friend, we're sort of contractually obligated to be there for each other."

"So she and you aren't friends?" Penny asked, her shimmering eyes practically begging Ruby for a clear cut answer.

Ruby had never seen her friend act so… interested in her personal affairs before. It was rather off-putting if Ruby could be honest. She slipped her arm out of Penny death grip and promptly used it to rub the small of her back, still aching rather painfully from the surprise vehicular love tap. Ruby was going to need a good long soak in the tub when this day was through.

"Ruby?" Penny called curiously.

"Oh! Uh…"

It was a simple decision, Ruby realised. Weiss herself wasn't a secret she wanted to keep from Penny if her suspicions about the young girl were correct. If anything she wanted to scream it from the highest mountain or have it written in the sky in big, bold letters that she was in love with Weiss Schnee. It was just difficult to openly admit it after everything that happened with Jaune.

Ruby had also never directly spoken to anyone other than Yang and Blake about her not-so-timid attraction to Weiss. Her other friends weren't involved in her personal life to avoid conflict, but Penny was different. She had been there for Ruby unconditionally without question. When Penny heard about the break up, she didn't take it well. Yang had to physically restrain the ginger haired teen when she tried to leave with a rolled up newspaper. Penny was so livid she swore to teach Jaune a lesson if she ever saw his face again. So if anyone deserved a peek into Ruby's secret affairs it would have to be Penny. Out of everyone Ruby knew, minus Yang and Blake, it was only Penny who time and time again had proven herself to be the loyalist of friends.

"Um…?"

"No, not exactly. We only spoke for like a minute or two, but I haven't been able to get her out of my head."

"Well," Penny shrugged, with an undiscernible expression on her face, "she did give you 35k."

"I know that! But even if she hadn't—look, I was prepared to leave that competition empty handed. I never expected her to give me anything, because getting to meet her was worth more to me than you'll ever know." Ruby placed a hand over her chest to placate the ever burning ache in her heart that yearned for Weiss. "I've thought about her day and night ever since. So I might sort of, kind of, oh I don't know... Maybe be in love with her."

Ruby braced for the worst possible outcome and readied her finest battalion of excuses in case she needed to backpedal out of Nopeville ASAP. It was hard to discern whether or not Penny was taking the news well. Penny's expression hadn't changed from having her head tilted slightly to the right in question, and it sure wasn't giving away any hints as to what she was truly thinking.

"Though I'd be totally okay with just being her friend if that's all she wants," Ruby added in quickly to save face.

"That's a lie," Penny deadpanned.

"Yeah… yeah, it was."

The initial shock wore off and now Penny kept a thoughtful expression on her face as she timidly smiled at Ruby. "I think you should go for it!" she said with a firm nod. "Ruby, you are so wonderful and amazing. My only worry is that you'll get hurt again. I don't know this girl but if you feel that strongly about her, then she is probably worth taking that risk. I mean, you've always had a good sense of judgement."

"Thank you so much, Penny…" Ruby murmured, relief washing over her. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"It's no problem, friend!" Penny exclaimed rather cheerfully. "So when are you seeing her next?"

"Um," Ruby rubbed her palms together suddenly hyper aware of how clammy they were. "I don't know. I left her my number so I'll just have to wait and see."

"That's not good enough, Ruby!" Penny shouted as she marched past Ruby and stood her ground, blocking the artist from taking another step.

Ruby looked at her freckle faced friend with a quirked eyebrow wondering why she was being so adamant. "Well, what do you suggest I do then?"

"You need to go back in there and talk to the girl you've been waiting for!"

"But I just left."

"So?" Penny crossed her arms. "The Ruby I know and love would run back in there."

"There's a process to these things," Ruby said with a slight mocking chuckle.

"No there isn't!"

"Uh, yes there is. You don't just go back after give them your number, you'd look desperate. You gotta wait." Penny's friendly green eyes narrowed at her, showing off an emotion Ruby hardly ever saw the girl display. Anger. "It's okay, really. Plus, Weiss doesn't look like the type of girl to break a promise or lie about liking someone."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't." Ruby frowned. "Which is why I'm waiting until she calls me. Look, I don't expect a kid like you to understand what it's like."

The words slipped out before Ruby could properly articulate her thoughts. The devastated look on Penny's face said everything and more. It was a disaster. Like an offshore oil rig that sprung a leak, Ruby saw the inky black substance polluting their friendship and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The once crystal clear waters between them was now a dead sea.

"Penny, I didn't mean that…"

"No, you did. You knew exactly what you were saying." Tears were freely rolling down Penny's rosy cheeks now in a steady stream. "You do realize that I'm only four years younger than you, right?"

"Penny, please. I—"

"What makes you so much more of an adult than me? Is it because you have a car, or lived on your own?"

"No! Nothing like that! I only meant that you haven't really dated anyone before."

"It's not like I haven't had the opportunity." Penny puffed out her cheeks and looked away to the side blushing rather cutely. "I've been asked out before. I just never said yes because…" she said mumbling the rest quietly.

"What was that?"

"… you never asked me."

"Ask you what? About your love life?" Ruby couldn't stop herself from chuckling slightly at the notion. She was playing dumb to try and skirt past this awkward conversation and preserve their purely platonic relationship. "Sorry, Penny, I never knew you were that interested in love stuff. We can still talk about cute boys and stuff if you want."

"Ruby, how dense can you be?"

"What?" Ruby felt a tick in her left eye coming along. Why couldn't Penny see that some things are better left unsaid?

"I literally just said I loved you five minutes ago!" Penny screamed angrily in frustration. "I've been saying it for how many years now? I don't even know anymore."

"But I thought you meant it in the friend way…"

Penny reigned her voice in and wiped away her tears. "Of course I meant it in the friend way… I never wanted to be anything more than that."

Ruby could see now that Penny was beyond the point of no return. She had made her feelings perfectly clear, leaving no room for interpretation or misunderstanding. Ruby knew she had to confront Penny with an equal amount of honesty, otherwise it wouldn't have been fair to the girl who clearly cherished her so much.

"Then why? Why did you never say anything to me directly?" Ruby asked swallowing her prise as she tried to take a step closer to Penny, but the girl reluctantly shook her head and kept her distance. "You of all people know how dumb I can be."

"Because I thought you were straight. We all thought you were," Penny answered in a defeated tone. "I was happy just being next to you. So when you and Jaune broke up, I decided to step up and maybe take his place… as the person closest you. But then you came out and I thought I finally saw my chance.

"Do you remember that day I called you over to the park? You complimented my new dress and said you liked what I did with my hair. I spent hours trying to find something nice to wear, and my dad even gave me some money to go to a hair salon. I was so ready to tell you... I tried to broach the subject by asking if there was any one you liked. Do you remember what you said to me?"

Ruby gulped but her mouth and throat were drier than a Vacuo desert. Unable to speak, Ruby nodded meekly in response.

"You wanted some time to find yourself before dating again…" Penny wrapped her arms around herself, her shoulders shuddering as she took in a deep, soothing breath. "Why didn't you just say you found someone instead of lying like you did?"

"I really wasn't ready to…" Ruby said stringing together her first coherent thought in the past few minutes. "I only told Yang and Blake about Weiss because they were there that day. I was worried if I told anyone else they'd say I was crazy for crushing over a stranger."

"' _They'_ includes me, huh?"

Ruby nodded her head again feeling ashamed. "I knew how crazy it was, believe me. I thought I'd never see her again since the only thing I knew about her was her name and that she lived in Atlas. I don't even know how old she is!"

"So why couldn't you have just told me all this?" Penny asked feeling deeply hurt and betrayed. "Was I not a good enough friend to you? Was there something I did wrong? Why couldn't you just trust me?"

"No, no! It isn't like that at all!"

"Then explain it to me, please."

A crowd was beginning to form around them. Penny either didn't notice or care, but Ruby sure did.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

"What? Why?"

"Um…" Ruby looked all around them guiding Penny's furious eyes to the strangers glancing at them when they passed. "Y'see?"

"All I see in front of me is jerk who's embarrassed to be seen with a _kid_ throwing a tantrum!"

"No, standing here is embarrassing. Can we please just get to the car for you to finish yelling at me?"

Penny hardened her gaze and said, "No. I'm not going with you. You hurt me, Ruby. _You_ hurt me."

"I'm sorry…"

"Sorry isn't good enough right now," Penny continued without pause. "I'm going home. You can do whatever it is _adults_ do in their spare time. Alone."

"Pen—"

"And for what it's worth, Ruby, I really hope things work out for you and whatever her name is. She's… really pretty."

"Penny…" Ruby called out weakly but the girl walking away from her didn't look back.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Turn it all Up**

* * *

Ruby sat lazily in the living room couch with Yang watching afterschool cartoons and sharing a bowl of popcorn. Their favourite program was on but it was playing an old out of season holiday rerun just before airing the first episode of its brand new season. Having memorized the plot and lines of this particular heartwarming episode, Ruby chose to spend the time staring at her scroll resting quietly on the coffee table. There was an unanswered message waiting for her but Ruby couldn't decide what to do with it.

She imagined a whole host of possibilities and some she wished she never entertained in the first place. But the one that struck Ruby the hardest was a conjured up a conversation involving her friend Penny and their most recent fight. It played out like most of their chats, simple hellos and pleasantries. After that it would devolved into a screaming death match where the two girls swung excessive exclamation marks at each other instead of swords. And when the dust cleared, neither of them would be standing; their friendship as dead as they were to each other.

A loud, mirthful chortle jostled Ruby out of her musings, forcing the young woman back into reality. She whipped her head around rapidly taking in her surroundings, trying to gain her bearings after getting so lost in her thoughts. The new episode of Budgies she had waited an entire summer for was well into its final act; Ruby had been spacing out for close to half an hour. Yang continued to laugh out loud, tears dotting her long eyelashes, completely oblivious to her sister's darkened thoughts. Ruby looked back and forth between the TV screen, faking a laugh or two before the credits to avoid suspicion and the bright blue LED on her phone blinking in slow intervals.

As the final sponsor logo faded to black, Yang caught her breath and glanced over to Ruby. She wanted to ask her fellow fan what they thought about the episode but saw that Ruby was more interested in her scroll.

"Just answer it," Yang barked, annoyed by her sister's level of thick-headedness.

"No, what if it's Penny yelling at me?" Ruby whined like a depressed child.

Yang rolled her eyes, huffing in irritation, and reached for the device. "If you don't want to answer it, I will."

"No, no, no, no!" Ruby yelled, repeatedly swatting Yang's hand away. "It could be Penny or it could be Weiss sending me something!"

"Dude, she isn't going to be sending you a dick pic," Yang grumbled as she settled back into her seat. "Just fucking answer it!"

"Ew! B-But what if she did?"

Blake chose that second to laugh and chime into the conversation with her two cents. She had been in the living room with them the entire time but spent it reading instead of watching the children's show.

"I don't think your hero has one of those," she said to the distressed redhead calmly.

"Internet searches are a thing," Ruby said in her soon-to-be future wife's defence. "I'm not going to judge."

"You refused to speak for a whole day when you walked in on Jaune taking a leak. You would not be cool seeing one on your scroll," Yang snorted, snickering at the somewhat fond memory of her sister during her "straight" phase.

Ruby blushed furiously and threw a throw pillow at her sister screaming, "You are the absolute worst!"

"C'mon, Ruby," Blake said smoothly as she swiped the scroll off the table before its owner could retaliate, "you've been pinning over this girl for a year. The least you could do is check to see if she actually messaged you."

"But what if it's Penny—or worse, her dad!"

"You can't avoid _her_ either," Blake chided. "And it really is your fault for not being honest with her."

"But—"

"Ruby!" Yang cut in abruptly, slinging her arm around her sister's neck. "You were the one that called Penny a kid, and in my book that's kind of a dick move. You gotta woman up and own your mistakes or else you'll be on the fast track to losing your best friend."

"But it's been three days and she still hasn't messaged me back in-game!" Yang and Blake gave the redhead a dry look, their faces saying all they needed to say. Ruby scrunched up her nose and loudly grunted, "What?!"

"Just answer your damn scroll and find out then!" Yang yelled out in frustration, throwing both her hands up into the air again. "Seriously Ruby, you have no right to call someone a kid when you're acting like this."

Blake took that as her queue and tossed the scroll at Ruby saying, "Relax, it was just hero girl. She'll be meeting you at Fleur-de-lis in two hours, so get dressed."

"What?"

"Hm?"

Ruby blinked slowly somehow managing to look both excited and hurt at the same time. "It… it _was_ Weiss?"

"Yup," Blake nodded with a lopsided smile. "Just a heads up but she's pissed you made her wait so long to answer."

"Crap—but wait, floor-do-what now?"

"Fleur-de-lis," Yang repeated with an almost perfect Eastern Atlesian accent.

Blake looked moderately impressed by her girlfriend's foreign flourish. Yang took Blake's momentary speechlessness as a compliment and grinned cheekily back at her with a playful wink.

"Yes," Blake said clearing her throat, pink dusting her cheeks. "What Madame Xiao Long said."

"Oh, I'm a madam now!" Yang beamed.

"Those are two different words from two different languages just so you know," Blake corrected her with a slight frown. She turned her attention back to Ruby and said, "It's the café across Penny's bookstore. Weiss was kind enough to give you the two hour window to get ready, so why are you still sitting here?"

"R-Right! The snooty café," Ruby stammered out with a heavy blush.

She got up and walked rigidly over to her little closet in the living room and opened it to reveal a heaping pile of unwashed clothing and empty hangers. Ruby paled at the disastrous sight and nervously turned her head back to Blake and Yang. The two older women looked at her like a lost cause and sighed a collective sigh of disappointment. Ruby managed to eke out a small grimace before getting dragged away by her grumpy sister.

"Good luck, Ruby," Blake chuckled choosing not following after them.

Thirty minutes and one giant pile of clean clothes later, Ruby found herself standing nervously in front of Yang full-length body mirror in an outfit deemed worthy of a first date. The blonde circled around her like a hungry shark eyeing its prey, measuring Ruby to her lofty ex-model standards.

Yang didn't know a thing about Weiss so she couldn't dress her baby sister up in a way that pleased the quite possibly older woman she wanted to date. All Ruby could tell her about the savvy painter was that she went to a university, goes to the gym, and liked to wear white. A lot of white. It wasn't much to go on and Yang honestly hated how white looked on her, so Ruby was stuck with Yang's choice of mellow earthy colours and Blake's slimming black.

The first few outfits Yang slapped together were too dark and made Ruby's pale complexion look too "gross" and pasty. The next had too many colours that clashed with Ruby's natural auburn hair, but complimented her fair skin. The last was just Ruby desperately trying to cover her naked upper body and a pair of comfortable adult-sized My Little Budgie panties. Yang had to give her sibling a scrutinizing look for that one.

Ultimately the doting older sister resorted to tossing a few articles of Ruby's clothing into the dryer with a scented fabric softener and prayed to God there weren't any hidden stains in embarrassing places. Yang even surprised Ruby with the gift that keeps on giving, a lovely set of black and red lacy lingerie. She wasn't about to let the girl go out in chara-undies. She'd scare poor Weiss off long before Yang would get the chance to strike the fear of God into her should she break Ruby's heart.

Though speaking of the redhead, Ruby almost died from embarrassment when she saw it. But after getting over the initial shock, Ruby still accepted the gift because she "didn't have anything else to wear" or at least that's what she wanted Yang to believe. But being the amazing older sister she was, Yang spared Ruby the teasing. Not because she wanted to avoid embarrassing her sister any further—she knew already Ruby didn't have anything sexy to wear—but because she wanted to savour it when the time was right and her gift was put to use. It was what any _really_ good sibling would do, and Yang prided herself in being the best. Even if it meant serving her virginal sister to some gorgeous stranger like a delicious dressed duck on a silver platter.

Alright, that definitely hit a nerve.

Yang stopped her pacing behind Ruby so the girl could see her menacing glare in the mirror. She breathed in and exhaled through her nose, a flicker of fire sparking in her violet eyes. Ruby seized up, her brows knitting nervously together as she squeezed her lips together like a hoodie with a pull string. She shrunk back into her shoulders trying to make herself as small as possible in preparation for her upcoming death. A death caused by pure embarrassment because Yang was about to let loose some sagely sister advice to go along with the sexy undies.

"Ruby, this is a big day for you," Yang started out, speaking as calmly as she could to keep herself in check. "You've been in love with this girl since day one; hook, line, and sinker. I also know that this is the first time you've ever been physically attracted to someone. And not in the totally superficial way you used to when you tried to fit in."

"Lies and slander!" Ruby yelped with a massive blush burning her cheeks.

It was all true though. Ruby never found anyone quite as ravishing or delectable as Weiss Schnee, and the thought of being intimate with her was what made the best dreams. Plus, the idea of their future together was something out of a cheesy romance novel.

 _She was your average hometown girl and he, in this case a she, was a brooding billionaire (which may or may not be true considering Weiss gave up a hefty sum like it was chicken nugget money) with too much time and money on his hands. When they meet sparks instantly fly and the hometown girl finds herself embroiled in the dashing debonair's world. But a conspiracy to take away his fortune comes to light when all the wrong people find out about the billionaire and his beautiful rose._

Yang looked at Ruby dryly putting a swift end to the young woman's fantasy. "Thin walls, Rubes. Thin walls."

The redhead immediately lost all the colour in her face, her eyes wide like she'd just seen a ghost, slack jawed and speechless.

"It's chill though. You're exploring your sexuality, I get it. Been there, done that. You never got the chance to with Jaune or anyone really. And I know for a fact that I wasn't any help growing up either. I just want you to know that it's okay if you decide to go home with her after your date. You do you, bro—sis." Yang cracked a small smile that did little to alleviate Ruby's horror-struck expression. "I—look, Ruby, it's been me and you ever since we ditched dad in Patch. I'm not sure if he ever really gave you _the talk_ , and it really isn't my place to tell you now that you're twenty-one..."

"Yang?" Ruby timidly mumbled trying her absolute best not to offend her sister by interrupting. But the situation the caring blonde was dragging them into was just too awkward for her _not_ to say anything.

Their father, bless his drunken heart, didn't give her the talk but not without trying; he was still a good man. Ruby was stubborn and never give him the chance to even when he sobered up years later when she started dating. She was one step ahead of him and somehow always managed to slip through his grasps whenever he tried to broach the subject. Ruby was too socially awkward and scared to stop him should _the talk_ ever lead to him explain things she didn't ever need to know, so she wasn't about to have her sister do it in his place.

"I know what sex is," she said plainly and openly. "Just because I chose not to do it with Jaune, doesn't mean I'm ignorant. I like to think you taught me better than that."

"Thanks for the compliment but that isn't what I'm trying to say here," Yang said with a quiet, grateful chuckle and a slight shake of her head.

"Uh, then what are you saying?"

"Back then I really didn't want you to end up like me—taking your lack of parental guidance and nurturing out on some poor boy's lips."

"Still not getting the point here."

"Ugh—what I'm trying to say is it's different with hero girl."

"Why do you guys keep calling her that?" Ruby looked over her shoulder, finally able to ask the real burning question on her mind.

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "She saved you from making a mistake."

"And what would that be exactly?" Ruby sighed heavily.

Yang was doing her version of the Ruby Ramble again. The blonde smiled, paying no mind to Ruby's impatience, as she lovingly smoothed out the younger woman's shaggy hair using her open palms.

"She gave you the strength you needed to finally break free and be who you were meant to be." Yang wrapped her little sister up in a warm hug, resting her cheek comfortably against Ruby's head as she did so. "You didn't show it but we could tell you were miserable—we _all_ did. I can't even begin to tell you how many times Jaune came over just to ask what he could do to make you happy. And each time I kept telling him it was out of my control. He knew you in a way I never will. I really had some hope for him, I just never thought he'd be the type to try and sneak around the way he did—I'll never forgive him for that.

"But think about it this way, back then you were so caught up in living your little picket fence fantasy you would have stayed and heard him out, forgiving him and moving on with your lives as a couple. And don't even try to say you wouldn't because I still remember that time you tried to get into Cardin's douche troupe back in middle school."

Ruby winced at the uncomfortable memory. She knew the guy and his friends were bullies, but in her eyes they were the cool kids with awesome lives. Yang never let Ruby forget how they goaded her into bullying a poor Faunus girl for a whole month before Yang stepped in and clobbered the snot out of the boy in charge. It was a dark time in her life, not something she planned on ever revisiting.

"Hero girl, I think it's a little presumptuous to say now, but I really think she's good for you. As far as stepping stones go."

Ruby raised her brow in Yang's direction, a laugh ghosting over her lips. "She's short, but not that short."

"Bah! You get what I mean, right?"

"I think so," Ruby said nodding her head. "Hey? Thanks, Yang. Y'know, for always looking out for me."

"I got you, Ruby. Always will."

After Yang's sisterly advice, Ruby got handed over to Blake for the finishing touches. The dark haired woman was a professional makeup artist and a damn good one at that. She got to work with famous movie stars, models, and even ran her own popular U-Tube channel dedicated to book reviews and makeup tutorials. Her makeup career was actually how she met Yang and the rest was, as they say, history.

Blake was the quiet intellectual type, in short the complete opposite to Yang, and it really showed through when she worked her magic on Ruby's face. The older woman only opened her mouth to ask Ruby the most basic of questions and spent the rest of their time in comfortable silence. It only took her five short minutes but the results were astounding. Blake modestly claimed it was all due to Ruby's natural good looks, but the proud glimmer in her golden eyes told a different story. The Faunus woman knew she was a miracle worker, she didn't need to have someone tell her.

"You look amazing," Blake said with her proud grin shining through her dull monotone.

Ruby blushed, or at least she thought she did. The pink dusting her cheeks was either her own work or Blake's, but for now she opted to think it was Blake's because there was no way she could look this attractive blushing on her own.

"Hero girl is going to absolutely love you."

"Ugh, Blake, not you too!" Ruby groaned in exasperation.

"Hey, if she doesn't instantly beg for your hand in marriage I think I need to have my license revoked." Blake chuckled in good humour and ushered Ruby out of her seat. "You have forty-five minutes left on the clock, get moving."

"I—what? But it only takes ten minutes to drive there?"

Blake shook her head and sighed. "Your first date with her and you want to show up empty handed?"

"G-Good point," Ruby gulped out of nervousness. "What do you suggest?"

"Flowers are always a good call," Blake said with a shrug. "Been a long time since my last first date, haha."

"Jaune got me a Happy Meal for ours…"

Blake arched a beautifully sculpted eyebrow in disbelief. "You are not getting Weiss a Happy Meal."

"So flowers?"

"Flowers, and don't be cheap."

Yang poked her head in curiosity getting the better of her, chewing on a cheese sandwich. She gave the two women a thumbs up and crammed the rest of her meal unceremoniously into her mouth. Blake watched her girlfriend, a former model, nearly choke on her food just to say something she knew was encouraging. It was safe to say that Blake wondered what went through her head when she dated other people, because Yang was definitely the one. Somehow.

"Lukkin gurt, Ruby!" Yang said with her mouth still full.

The redhead look to Blake for a translation.

"She said, 'Looking good, Ruby.'" Blake sighed dreamily. "I love her so much."

Yang swiped her hand at Blake clearly flustered by her suave darker counterpart.

"Right, anyway, flowers. Where do I go?" Ruby asked trying to get things back on track. She was running out of time and the only two people she could count on were too busy flirting to help her. "Seriously guys!"

It took a moment, but Yang eventually managed to swallow her food. She breathed out a sigh of relief, mumbling something along the lines of "I thought I was going to die" before finally speaking up and saying, "That one place, y'know?"

Ruby squinted her eyes at Yang, a big frown dragging down her pouted lips.

"The one with the ugly ficus?" Blake chimed in with a laugh.

The blonde eagerly nodded her head. "Yeah! Freddy the fugly ficus—where was it again?"

"The other side of town."

"Crap."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ruby screamed in frustration, putting herself between Blake and her sister. "First you tell me to get Weiss flowers and now you're talking about a ficus. Which do I get?!"

The exasperated couple shared a knowing look that literally and metaphorically went over Ruby's head. Then, at the height of the tension, in a unanimous deadpan, they said, "You are not getting hero girl a ficus."

"Just for that, she's totally getting a ficus," Ruby huffed spitefully.

If her family was hell-bent on being weird, then she might as well get started early with Weiss just to make the transition from her sophisticated upper-class to whatever it was they were. Plus, getting Weiss some sort of shrubbery fell in line with her quirky nature. It was perfect!

 _Weiss Schnee, prepare to be wooed Ruby style!_

* * *

 **I don't do these much since I hate how it ups the word count unfairly, but the affection you people have shown this story has really touched me. I want to say thank you for not giving up on it despite the horrendously long update times between my works. It's honestly gotten easier to juggle everything the more I have pending. It channels my need to drop and work on something else quite well, which is why Colour Blind got its fourth chapter out so soon after the third.**

 **Mushy-gushy aside, I'd like to address some reviews that sparked my interest. I'm not picking these as some sort of call-out post. I was generally excited someone questioned my idea instead of just blindly going with it. My stories are so much more than they seem with hidden meanings and subtle hints to the overall plot without giving things away.**

 _ **Ryulord1111**_ **: In the first chapter during its second act, I put in this this easily overlooked passage: "** She was in love with someone else. However, not everyone got the message" (Colour Blind, Chapter One). **Penny wasn't being thrown under the bus, no one has. This isn't that type of story. Colour Blind has a deeper meaning than just being a title.**

 **People react to things differently and I've been praised for my painfully human dialogues during scenes like this. Penny was hurt Ruby kept a secret despite being someone she counted on during her transition. She really wasn't out to become Ruby's lover. She wanted to be completely honest with her. Yes, it would have been nice if Ruby reciprocated her feelings but Penny knew better. She knew how much honesty was beginning to mean to Ruby and show her that she wasn't the only one coming to terms with their homosexuality.**

 **Plus, it's just a shitty feeling that Ruby was purposely keeping her at a distance.**

 **I wonder why?**

 _ **TacoKing23**_ **: Adults do the exact same thing when they're pushed into a corner. It's a natural thing to do to lash out when you're faced with something that threatens you. In this case Penny saw Ruby's lack of trust in her as a direct assault on their supposedly rock solid friendship. How Ruby will make things up to her will play a greater roll in the future. Because a real friend will not let things end after just a hiccup.**

 _ **ODST110**_ **: Yes my friend, ouch.**


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: It's a Spectacle**

* * *

One hour.

Ruby was officially one hour late to the single most important event in her life. She couldn't believe herself for fucking up this badly, but she did and she only had herself to blame.

The drive to the specific flower shop her family begged her not to go to was a quick seventeen minutes. Buying her lovely lady fair the best gift a future girlfriend could give was even quicker—hell, she almost got it for free; the shop desperately wanted to get rid of it for some odd reason. So despite everything going her way, how exactly did she end up this late?

Easy.

Elementary even.

Ruby Rose forgot all about rush hour. And that wasn't even the worst part. The restaurant Weiss was meeting her at was smack dab in the heart of downtown Vale—in it's highly congested left ventricle to be specific. She also had four more blocks to go before the turn off and the grimy SUV in front of her hadn't moved a single inch in five minutes. But like any girl hopelessly in love, Ruby saw the bright side to her misfortune. Instead of cursing at the kumquat in the next lane trying to cut her off, Ruby spent her time doing a little last minute research. If she was going to be stuck in traffic she might as well do something productive.

Ruby went to all the well-known restaurant review websites and skimmed through everything the foodies had to say about Fleur-de-lis before settling on her go-to website. The reviews there parroted the ones on the other sites, so it was a consistent restaurant in terms of quality. The food and atmosphere were highly praised, heralded as the best downtown Vale could offer. Even the service got raving reviews for being topnotch. Though in fairness, Ruby could attest to that being the truth because of Hamilton's friendly disposition. But after awhile the reviews all started to sound the same, only deviating here and there by a few words due to the submitter's personal nitpicking. Honestly, who complains about a restaurant using blue napkins instead of white ones? JoanDarc67, that's who.

Ruby stopped scrolling down and went back to the overall rating section that said 4.7/5 in big bold letters above the standard row of rating stars. Below the bright yellow visual marker was a list that sorted out the votes. Fifty-seven gave it four out of five, twelve gave it three out of five, and only one person gave Fleur-de-lis a shocking one out of five. Ruby was curious and the car in front of her _still_ hadn't moved, so she clicked on the one star review to read the scathing rant… which was evidently written by a spoiled man-child. There was nothing constructive in the passage, in fact it only complained about the restaurant owner reserving the window side table. Putting that useless review aside, three hundred other people gave the small downtown café the full five stars.

Ruby was actually quite excited to eat there now. The foodies prattled on and on about the great selections and one other thing in particular. A lot of the reviewers mentioned that the head chef was a real knockout. A total babe above all babes. A spicy ten out of ten. And so on and so forth, but Ruby laughed it all off thinking how this supposed "mega-hottie" could ever hold a candle against Weiss.

One hour and twenty minutes after she left her house, Ruby finally arrived at her destination. Luckily enough for her a parking spot in front of Fleur-de-lis had opened up as she made the turn.

From one quick look outside, Ruby could see it was a full house. And seated at the table closest to the window was Weiss, blind to the comings and goings around her, tapping away on her laptop. Ruby sighed in relief when she saw her date waiting for her and proceeded to thank her lucky stars profusely. Things were finally starting to look up for her.

Ruby quickly parked her car, took the keys out of the ignition, and undid her seatbelt. Next, she reached over to her passenger side seat and undid the harness strapping Weiss' new potted pal in place. She looked at it proudly, giving herself a mental pat on the back for a job well done, and gently dragged it over to her side before getting out and slamming the door shut. Ruby fished her keys out from her pocket, careful not to jostle her leafy friend, and activated the remote locking mechanism. After hearing her locks click into place and double checking driver side door, Ruby jogged to the entrance.

As soon as she got in the hostess greeted her with a smile. Her gold plated nametag read Jeana and it definitely suited her much like the form fitting white blouse, black vest, and suit pants she wore. She had warm hazel coloured eyes with distinct splashes of green dotting her irises, a unique trait much like Ruby's rare silver eyes.

"Good evening and welcome to Fleur-de-lis," the pretty girl said with slight hesitation lacing her words. "I'm afraid all of our tables are taken at the moment, and the wait time is currently an hour to an hour and a half. If you would like, you may take a seat to the side and wait to be called or we can write you down for a reservation on a later date to avoid the hassle."

Ruby blinked and looked to the area near the hostess' podium where a family of four and two couples were waiting patiently. She almost felt bad for bypassing them in the queue—on second thought, she felt terrible since Weiss had to hold their table for over an hour.

"U-Um, there's someone waiting for me inside already." Ruby nervously gulped, hugging Weiss' gift closer to her body so she could hide from all the curious glances she garnered.

"Oh! Then may I have their name please?" Jeana asked in a more natural tone.

"Weiss. Weiss Schnee?"

The hostess' eyes practically bulged out of their sockets when Ruby dropped Weiss' name. Jeana quickly scrambled and ushered Ruby in, grabbing a menu from the podium before taking her to the table where Weiss waited.

"Ms. Schnee, your guest has arrived," the young woman said with a deep, respectful bow.

Weiss didn't bother acknowledging Jeana, her hands still furiously typing away. A couple seconds went by before she stopped, her slender fingers resting just above the keyboard.

"M-Ms. Schnee?" Jeana called out again nervously. "Your guest?"

Weiss took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose as she carefully adjusted the chic glasses she wore before speaking. "Thank you, Jeana," she said with cold familiarity. "You may return to your position."

"Yes ma'am, right away ma'am!" Jeana exclaimed with another deep respectful bow.

Ruby watched Jeana scurry away with a heavy blush and a giddy smile on her face. The young lady looked like she was about ready to fly with how elated she looked. But then again, if she got directly addressed by someone as gorgeous as Weiss, Ruby would definitely be reaching orbit by now.

"Is… Ruby, what is that?" Weiss asked Ruby, unknowingly sending her date to space.

"U-Uh," Ruby tore her attention away from Jeana and readjusted her gift to hide from Weiss' burning stare. "It's for you."

"Really now?" Weiss said as she crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. A small smirk danced on her lips as she waited for Ruby's explanation.

Ruby nodded her head, shyly peeking over the side to look at Weiss.

"Hi, I'm Freddy the _totally_ not fugly ficus!" Ruby said in a muffled high pitched voice. "I have just met you but I love you." A sly grin slowly crept its way onto Ruby's face as a fit of giggles made her break out of character. "Let's _leaf_ it at that!" she said impishly.

An awkward silence fell between the two potential lovers. Ruby stood stock still waiting for Weiss' rebuke. It sounded so clever in her head that she was sure Weiss would laugh or at least giggle, just a smile would have been enough to make Ruby's embarrassment worthwhile. But no, Weiss sat there unflinchingly calm without a trace of emotion to give away her thoughts. However, her eyes were gelid and calculating, no doubt trying to decide whether Ruby was an idiot or a tall five-year-old.

Then, just as Ruby was about to excuse herself to go dig a hole to bury herself in, Weiss Schnee snorted; it was adorable. Then she laughed the most beautiful laugh Ruby had ever heard, sending her heart rocketing through the stratosphere. It was clear and crisp like the chime of a crystal bell cutting through the discord, with a refined dignity only a highborn lady could muster.

"I didn't know you were an aspiring comedian, Ruby Rose." Weiss allowed the final dregs of laughter to slip through unabashed before she reigned herself back in. "But it's good to see you _branching_ out. Please, sit down. You've kept me waiting long enough."

Ruby's face was burning hotter than the sun and it was all because of the brumal woman she'd been pinning over. The feeling was nothing like she'd felt before and it was exhilarating. Timidly, Ruby crossed the distance over to Weiss and settled Freddy down on her right side, its gangly branches pressing up against the royal blue curtains. Weiss looked at it fondly and chuckled.

"So what made you decide on gifting me this handsome fellow?" she asked still smiling at Freddy.

"I asked my sister and her girlfriend what I should get you for our first date. It started out with flowers then they got weird and started talking about this really ugly—I mean…" Ruby looked apologetically at Freddy for her mistake. The plant seemed to droop at her lack of tact and dropped a couple of leaves. "God what was I thinking? A ficus. Really, Ruby? So much for date number two."

"Freddy wouldn't have been at fault for that," Weiss said putting on an air of sophistication. "You kept me waiting for over an hour. How do you explain that, hm?"

Ruby slunk back to her chair and plopped down unceremoniously. "Ugh, I'm the worst; I know. But the flower shop was across town and then traffic—"

"Instead of listing off excuses, you should be thanking Freddy," Weiss said with a devilish smirk and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "He secured the second date."

"Thank you, Freddy," Ruby said with a lighthearted laugh. "I'm really sorry I kept you waiting, Weiss; it won't happen again, I promise. Also, the staff must _really_ like you if they allowed you to sit here all this time."

"I suppose. Though they really had no choice in the matter," Weiss said dismissively as she slid her laptop into her leather designer briefcase and put it aside. Work had no place in her itinerary now that Ruby was here and she wanted Ruby to know she was one-hundred percent committed to their date.

The two women chatted aimlessly for another two minutes, perusing their menus carefully before a familiar waiter walked up and cleared his throat.

"Good evening, Ms. Schnee, Ms. Rose!" Hamilton exclaimed with a charming smile.

"Oh hey!" Ruby greeted him with the same exuberance.

Weiss nodded at the waiter, closing her menu without a word.

"Sorry for the wait, it's packed in here today." Hamilton looked over his shoulder sheepishly watching his fellow employees scrambling about trying to serve their guests. "Tell me, what can I get you two?"

"I'd like the house red wine and a Caesar salad for starters. Ruby?" Weiss looked at her date patiently.

Ruby scrambled to hold the menu up in front of her. Weiss' eyes were staring at her so intently she couldn't focus. "Uh—um, I'll take a Nuka and the Ceasar as well."

Hamilton jotted the orders down quickly. "And what can I get you for your main course?"

"I'd like the filet mignon with the Cabernet peppercorn demi-glace," Weiss said reciting her order with a fluidity Ruby could never repeat. "Rare. You know how I like it."

"That comes with garlic mashed potatoes and a perfectly seasoned broiled lobster tail, with your choice of either steamed broccoli or rainbow carrots." Hamilton chuckled merrily at the dry look Weiss sent him and said, "Steamed broccoli as usual." He switched over to Ruby and nodded at her, ready to write down her every wish.

"I'd actually like the exact same thing."

Hamilton quickly wrote it down and read it back to them, "Ms. Schnee will be having the house red wine, a Caesar salad for starters—extra croutons and light on dressing as per usual. Then for the main course, Fleur-de-lis' signature dish, the filet mignon cooked rare with Cabernet peppercorn demi-glace and steamed broccoli.

"And for Ms. Rose, a refreshing, ice-cold Nuka Cola and a Caesar salad for starters. And for the main course, the filet mignon cooked rare with Cabernet peppercorn demi-glace and steamed broccoli. Do I have everything down right?"

"Yes, Hamilton. Perfect as usual," Weiss said with that crystalline laugh Ruby was quickly growing addicted to.

"Thank you, Ms. Schnee. I strive only for excellence," he said bowing graciously. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Ruby and Weiss watched their friendly waiter saunter off into the back. Ruby was feeling extremely happy with the way Hamilton handled the order. Most servers were usually blasé about their jobs and only did the bare minimum, but a quick look at the other servers milling about the floor told her they all carried the same professionalism Hamilton did. Fleur-de-lis was definitely a cut above the rest in terms of its hospitality.

A minute hardly went by when one of the table runners appeared with their drinks. The poor boy didn't even have a chance to take a breath before he was off clearing an empty table for the next set of guests to be seated. Weiss was already happily sipping away at her red wine, savouring its full-bodied flavour and aroma like a connoisseur. Ruby wasn't a fan of most alcohols, she preferred things sweet and wine was definitely not on her list of traditional sweet things. Though watching Weiss sigh happily after her drink was still an intoxicating treat for the eyes and ears.

"So tell me about yourself," Weiss said as she gently placed her glass down.

Ruby fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "What would you like to know? I'm kind of plain all around."

"Anything and everything. You left such a strong impression on me when we met that I couldn't get you out of my head. I want to know why."

"Uh…" Ruby could feel herself shrinking under Weiss' intense stare. It made her feel bare and that was terrifying because no one had ever stared at her so passionately before. "Well, I'm twenty-one?"

Weiss hummed. "I'm older than you."

"By how much?"

"Try and guess," Weiss flirted.

"Two years?" Weiss shook her head. "Long shot, five?" Another shake. "Whoa, are you one of those super old people that just look really young?!"

Weiss started laughing and was quickly joined by Ruby's own hesitant chuckle.

"You were close," Weiss said. "I'm twenty-four." Ruby ooh'd in understanding. Weiss certainly did give off that sexy older woman vibe. "That isn't a problem is it?"

"No, not at all," Ruby replied comfortably. "As long as it's you, I wouldn't care if the age difference was ten or even twenty years."

"I'm flattered."

Ruby stared at Weiss, her consciousness lost to the depths of Weiss' misty ocean blue eyes. A goofy, lovesick smile was on the redhead's face, an expression Weiss would have to permanently get used to. Because after this, after all this time dreaming and waiting, Ruby wasn't ever going to let her go.

She traced and recorded every detail of Weiss face to memory, even the minute nuances that someone passing by wouldn't notice were forever engraved. Ruby remembered alluding Weiss' perfection to that of a priceless work of art, her beauty encased forever in flawless marble. But something was different about Weiss that heavily contradicted the one from her memories.

Weiss was saying something, but Ruby couldn't hear her. Her thoughts were racing a hundred miles per second trying to spot the difference. It was steadily growing into this global wide scale search, like one of those "Where's Baldo" games she used to love as a child on maximum difficulty. One by one, all the mental images Ruby painstakingly painted were being replaced by the woman sitting in front of her.

And then she found it.

It struck her like a divine epiphany. The moment they first locked eyes face to face. Everything around them had disappeared and Ruby's eyes widened, taking in everything about Weiss' visage like it was her first time seeing after a lifetime spent in the dark, blind.

Weiss stopping talking and followed Ruby's gaze. She sat stock still, frozen in place as fear gripped her entre being in a painful icy grip. Slowly, Weiss lifted her left hand up to her scarred cheek, ghosting over it with the softest of touches before inching it upwards to fully conceal her left eye. She bit her bottom lip and looked away in shame, her eyes narrowing darkly as her thoughts travelled down a well-worn path.

"Weiss," Ruby said just above a whisper, "you… you cut your hair."

Glass seemed to shatter all around Weiss when Ruby finished her sentence. She looked at the redhead, horrified beyond what mere words could describe. Then, just as suddenly as that typhoon of emotions slammed into her, a tidal wave of relief graciously drowned her and the entirety of all her fears. Weiss honestly didn't know whether she should be mad or grateful that Ruby was paying attention to her appearance.

"It really suits you!" Ruby exclaimed further with childish delight. "I could never have my hair as long as you did without snapping my neck. It must've been so heavy!"

"I…" Weiss blinked, unsure of how to respond. "Yes, it was. But you tend to get used to it. It actually did wonders for my core strength and posture, so I'm not going to complain."

"Eh?" Ruby leaned back and giggled, getting comfortable in Weiss' presence. "My sister's got great posture, too. Super long hair in the back and super big boobs out front. She says they're counter balancing each other, but that isn't really how physics work."

"Your sister sounds like a real card," Weiss said with a polite yet sombre smile.

Ruby couldn't help but grin at the merry thought of Weiss and Yang getting along. They were complete opposites. Hot and cold, tall and short, well-endowed and… not so much, the list would have been endless if Ruby could actually take the time to think of any other things that were as polarizing as Weiss was to Yang. She would have made the obvious comparison and called Weiss the winter to Yang's summer, the arctic to the desert, but the snowy woman was no where near as cold as she wanted people to believe she was. Ruby could see it flickering in her eyes like a small, dying ember begging to be stoked; Weiss was withering under her debilitating loneliness.

She noticed it first during the art competition. People were talking to each other on friendly terms, even Ruby had made a friend or two that day but not Weiss. No, everyone looked at her with contempt and that was before she even won; the looks and whisperings intensified dramatically when her victory was announced. The other instance was with Jeana and Hamilton tonight. It was clear the cheery young woman both feared and admired Weiss greatly. And while Hamilton didn't show any apprehension towards her, he did show an unwillingness to get familiar with Weiss like he did with Ruby. Or maybe she was reading too much into it and Hamilton just didn't give a flying rat's ass about the chilly atmosphere surrounding Weiss. But Jeana had definitely put the white haired woman on an unreachable pedestal. Sad.

Before Ruby could go deeper into her musings, Hamilton popped out of nowhere with a small trolley carrying an empty steel bowl and various other bowls filled with salad ingredients. He greeted them both, apologizing for the wait and promptly began preparing their Caesar salads in front of them. Ruby watched his rapid movements in awe as he prepared the dressing with practiced ease. Up until this moment, Ruby had no idea Caesar dressing had anchovies in them.

 _'No wonder Blake loves this stuff,'_ she thought to herself vividly amused.

Hamilton divided the crunchy delight evenly between two salad bowls and placed them in front of Ruby and Weiss. Then he picked up a grater and a whittled down triangular block of parmesan cheese off the trolley and looked to Weiss for approval. She nodded her head and he began grating it above the lettuce and croutons until Weiss signalled to stop, then it was Ruby's turn.

"And there we have it ladies!" Hamilton said gesturing to his tableside creations. "Enjoy."

Ruby watched Weiss squeeze her lemon slice over her salad and did the same. They set the rinds aside and eagerly dug into their food. Ruby was half expecting it to taste incredibly fishy, but to her surprise it tasted just like the stuff she had in the fridge tucked behind the three-year-old mayo—only _better_. Hamilton made the salads perfect by ensuring every bit of crispy lettuce was only lightly coated with the dressing instead of the disgusting sloppy goop other restaurants served. It was light, crisp, and the citrus splash left a happy little tingle in her mouth after each and every bite. Weiss seemed to be enjoying her salad too as evidenced by the telltale smile radiating on her face.

 _'Memo to self, make Weiss salads. Second memo to self, learn how to make salads.'_

Ten minutes after, with the plates picked clean of every delicious morsel, Hamilton came back carrying a large tray topped with their main courses and a folded stand hanging off his arm. A table runner followed behind him dutifully until they neared Weiss and Ruby's table. The spry young man hastened his steps, easily overtaking Hamilton, and cleared the table.

Hamilton deftly maneuvered around his aid and set up his tray stand and the accompanying tray. Ruby's mouth watered at the tantalizing smell invading her senses like a siren's seductive song. And when the plate was placed before her, Ruby was itching to dig right in. But like a well-trained dog, she waited until Weiss had hers. The smirk playing on Weiss' face made Ruby all the more eager to please her, hoping that the reward for her patience was another smile.

"Please don't hold yourself back on my account, Ruby," Weiss said with a lilt in her tone.

Taking that as permission, Ruby grabbed her shining silver utensils and cut into the succulent meat. One bite was all it took to send her to nirvana. The way the juices flowed into her mouth, mingling delightfully with the perfected blend of spices was enough to damn past-Ruby to the pits of hell for the crime of never coming here sooner. It was _that_ good.

A lull fell as the potential lovers ate in comfortable silence. Ruby's tableside manners weren't nearly as refined as Weiss', but thankfully the older woman paid her no mind. In fact, Weiss seemed strangely enamoured by it since she reached over every now and then just to dab her tablecloth against the smudges on Ruby's face. Had it not been for the loving smiles she received, Ruby would've been offended that some (beautiful) stranger was treating her like a child. But this was no ordinary stranger. This was Weiss Schnee. So the only thing Ruby could do was muster up a quiet thank you as her face lit up like the First of July. And after every retreat, Ruby would then sink back and continue to bask under Weiss' brilliant glory as a melted puddle of red saturated goo.

Hamilton stopped by again wearing a cheeky little grin that hinted at something harmlessly devious. Weiss quickly caught on to it and glowered at him menacingly, however, that only made his grin widen. Ruby was far less hostile than her date, but that was because she was too busying trying to see through his game. He had timed his little visit perfectly since Weiss was cutting her meat and Ruby had just finished swallowing. It must have been some sort of server magic, since every other time Ruby and her family went out to eat somewhere "fancy" they were always caught chewing or about to shovel in a disturbing amount of food into their gaping mouths—this was always Yang though; Blake had manners and Ruby couldn't open her mouth that wide.

"Were you watching us, dude?" Ruby asked him visibly freaked out.

"Huh?" Hamilton slowly shook his head in confusion. "Anyway," he said trying not to directly look at Ruby's scrutinizing gaze, "how's the food tasting? Everything's alright I hope?"

"It's great," Ruby stated honestly. "Best I've ever had."

Weiss however chuckled and said, "The steak's a tad bit salty, did Coco personally prepare this? Because I can practically taste her resentment."

"No, ma'am, I believe that would be the prep cook you turned down the other day," he replied smoothly.

"Ah," Weiss hummed playfully, "that would definitely explain the extra saltiness. But you should still notify the Head Chef that a heartbroken young man's tears are not on the menu. Not tonight's at least."

"Understandable," Hamilton agreed, laughing along with Weiss. "But funny you should mention the Head Chef, she actually requested something special for you and the lovely lady Rose."

"Oh no."

Ruby's ears perked up at the sound of her name and looked up at dashingly dressed server expectantly. Weiss groaned at the revelation and waved her hand for him to bring it on not wanting to reject the offer now that Ruby was involved.

Weiss knew what was coming, so when Hamilton signalled the runner waiting at the bar to come over she was ready. There were three drinks lined up ready to be served. The first in the line up was a simple clear cocktail in a curvaceous glass with mixed berries floating between the ice cubes. The second was a bright blue frozen drink in a tall glass and a strawberry garnish. And the third was monumental to say the least. It had to have been a joke, because no sensible bar or restaurant would ever dare serve something so deliciously gaudy. And to Ruby's excitement and Weiss' utter disgust, the runner picked that one.

The third drink was a big fishbowl filled nearly to the brim by an ocean blue liquid and large chunks of floating ice with blue candy fish frozen inside. It had a heart shaped crazy straw with two ends, the perfect tool for a loving couple to sip on their drink while comfortably gazing into the other's eyes, resting against the bowl held in place by the ice. A small, frosted tin pouring cup was latched carefully onto the rim by its half-handle filled with something possibly alcoholic. Ruby guessed that if it was, it would have been a courtesy call in case she didn't drink. Which was a nice sentiment if it was true and wholly unnecessary since she loved her sinfully sweet girly drinks.

The runner had trouble lifting the drink but with a little help from the cute bartender who made it, he managed to get it onto the tray. It was a veritable rollercoaster of emotions watching the poor guy's arm wobbling under the sheer weight of the fishbowl, but he made it and did it without having a single drop spill. A round of applause resounded throughout the entire dining area when he placed the drink onto the table with Hamilton spotting him. He looked at its recipients with a tired grin then turned around to bow at his surprise audience before rushing back to the bar.

Weiss glared at the bowl then at Hamilton then at Ruby for laughing at her. She huffed angrily and asked, "What?"

"Well you're glaring at a fishbowl for one," Ruby said still laughing away not caring for Weiss' glare. Any other person would have been scared, but not Ruby. No, definitely not Ruby. Because to her that glare was sexy as hell and if Weiss decided to keep it up, she'd have to really thank Yang for that surprisingly comfortable set of lingerie she was wearing. "What's it called?"

Hamilton's eyes sparked with excitement. "The Shark Bite," he said.

"Oh, because of all the fishies?" Ruby asked as she peeked at Weiss through the glass.

"Yes, but you forgot the bite."

Weiss gracefully picked up the frosted cup and offered it to Ruby who eagerly grabbed it for a chance to touch Weiss' hand. After their fingers grazed each other and the little cup passed between them, Weiss said, "I want you to pour the contents into that… bowl," her lip curled upward in disdain, "slowly—I said slowly, Ruby Rose!"

Ruby stopped herself from dumping the entire thing into the bowl and tilted her hand back up a bit with a grumpy defeated frown.

The white haired woman sighed in relief, briefly forgetting her own rule about repetition and repeated herself. "Remember, _slowly_."

Ruby gulped nervously. Weiss was watching her like a hawk; it was kind of hot.

A red viscous liquid began pouring out of the tin cup splashing into the blue drink like drops of blood. Weiss reached over and guided Ruby's hand in a slow swirling motion so the red syrup was spread evenly. Ruby was so enthralled by the mesmerizing display happening in the bowl that she didn't realize Weiss was holding her hand until she finally let go.

Ruby placed the tin down and looked to thank Hamilton, but the young man was gone helping another server clean up a table. She smiled, deciding to wait for the next time he showed up to give him her gratitude. Weiss had gone back to her meal and finished off the last of her wine as did Ruby with her soda. A busboy politely asked if they'd like a refill, but they both declined and he quickly added their empty glasses to his load.

"I forgot to ask Hamilton while he was here but you seem to know what this is, does it have any alcohol in it?" Ruby asked eyeing the silly straw.

Weiss grimaced but nodded. "Not enough to get you drunk."

"Oh, well that's good," Ruby said absentmindedly as she took a bite. When the comfortable silence returned, unbeknownst by her target Ruby kept a watchful eye out for the next time Weiss swallowed. And when she did, Ruby quietly said, "But just so you know, you have my consent."

Weiss stopping cutting her steak and glared flatly at Ruby. "What?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't have the strongest tolerance when it comes to alcohol." She tugged her end of the straw and leaned in, taking the end slowly between her lips. Her eyes widened in childish surprise when the sweet yet tangy adult beverage washed over her tongue.

"Was that your attempt at trying to seduce me?"

Weiss was slightly taken aback by Ruby's boldness but not disinterested which made the redhead mentally sigh in relief. Ruby saw her chance in Weiss' hesitation and smirked as she lightly dipped her head to the side, inviting Weiss to take part in the restaurant's gift.

"Just so you know," Weiss said coldly, "you'll have to try much harder than that if you wish to undress me tonight."

When Weiss leaned in, she delicately pulled her half of the straw and caught the tip between her teeth in a teasing nip before she drew it in and secured her lips around it like a kiss. The seductive look she gave Ruby made the younger woman wish she was the damned lucky straw. But if Weiss' earlier words were to be taken seriously, there was a good chance she'd be feeling those delectable pink lips—and maybe more than that—on hers before the night was through.

It was a difficult challenge; one with a reward greater than the risk it proposed. But Ruby could do it. She knew she could do it. Why? Because Ruby had her big girl panties on tonight. _Thanks, Yang._

Bolstering her courage, Ruby decided the silence needed to go and racked her brain trying to think of something she could say. She had a giant list of cheesy one liners waiting for her to use, but Ruby wanted to hold an actual conversation with Weiss that didn't end with her laughing or pointing out the obvious in a deadpan. Weiss was probably the smartest person she'd ever spoken to, at least that was the vibe she got whenever Weiss spoke, so it was hard to keep up with her.

Ruby was starting to feel like a bumbling idiot next to Weiss. Nothing she came up with sounded right to her. The typical first date questions, while important, didn't feel engaging enough. Ruby predicted Weiss would have a slew of perfectly concise answers to match her simple queries while Ruby would take five minutes to explain hers in her nervous roundabout way. She desperately wanted to impress Weiss, though now that Ruby really thought about it those first date questions were starting to sound more appealing with each failed icebreaker. But none of Ruby's meticulous musings mattered when Weiss' eyes fluttered shut and a sinfully quiet moan escaped her lips, followed closely by a breathy sigh that sent a wave of tingles crawling down Ruby's spine.

Involuntarily, like most things involving Weiss Schnee, Ruby's body acted before her slightly more capable mind could react. Now normally that wasn't such a bad thing. It made Ruby fun and spontaneous; all the girly magazines Yang featured in had articles saying women loved that in a man—in this case another woman, but tomato _toh-matoh_. So why was this any different from the other times Ruby went and Rose'd it up? Well, they usually didn't involve her forgetting she was drinking through a straw. The look on Weiss' face was absolutely priceless when her half of the straw was yanked away as Ruby comically gasped for air. And even though Ruby felt like she was about to die, her focus was set solely on Weiss. Not even the hard plastic jammed halfway down her throat could make her look away.

The woman's eyes were wider than she had ever seen them and a whole veritable mishmash of emotions were on full display. Her face was still impassively stoic, locked in a moment of slow realization but her pretty blue eyes read like a children's storybook. When they first met, Weiss had this withered look in her eyes that sapped away any joy Ruby felt during their brief conversation. The second time they met, Weiss looked at her with dead unfeeling eyes. It was a little better during their date. Weiss livened up a little but her eyes stayed that same muted blue.

Surprise, shock, and a lot of regret for agreeing to come on this date were at the front of the line, but Ruby couldn't deny how alive Weiss looked. Though the freezing névé covered fields and mountains of Atlas were nothing compared to the death glare Weiss was giving her.

Weiss moved faster than a striking cobra and yanked out the straw before Ruby could make more of a scene. She waited till Ruby caught her breath to begin her verbal beat down.

"Are you insane?" Weiss asked, fuming vehemently. "You could have gotten hurt or worse! Are you always this childish?"

Ruby sunk into her chair, fighting back a whimpering sob as Weiss continued her ruthless onslaught.

"I've had it! First you leave me waiting for over an hour, your excuse being this ridiculous looking plant that I really hope you didn't pay for, and now this." She gestured to all of Ruby making the poor girl cringe. "When I met you I thought I saw a potential equal. You were so strong and confident on stage, I wanted to get to know you better. But now that I have, I think I regret my decision."

"I'm sorry, Weiss…"

"No. Don't apologize," Weiss hissed through tightly gritted teeth. "If this is who you truly are, a bumbling buffoon with nothing to offer but immature antics and terrible jokes, then it is I that should be apologizing to _you_ for thinking we were ever compatible."

Weiss pushed her chair back and stood up, quickly retrieving her things. She turned her back to Ruby, intent on leaving her there without another word, but stopped when she heard Ruby weakly say her name. She sighed and turned to face her, but the sight of Ruby's tears made her falter and avert her eyes.

"Look, dinner is on me. Just tell Hamilton whatever you need and he'll add it to my tab."

"Weiss, I'm so sorry… please don't walk away."

Shaking her head, Weiss said, "No. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work out as I'd hoped."

"…" Ruby sat in heartbroken silence, kneading her hands together as the woman of her dreams prepared to walk out of her life for good.

Ruby didn't dare look up from her tightly clenched hands on her lap. She knew that if she did, she'd start to cry and cause even more of a scene. So Ruby held strong and willed herself to think of happy thoughts, but all she could think about was Weiss' elegant smile and charming laugh.

"Yo, Frosty!" a boisterous woman shouted cheerily.

"Wha—Coco, unhand me this instant!" Weiss hissed angrily, pawing at her captor's ribs.

"Nu uh, I'm not about to let you walk out on your date like a total dulce de douche," Coco chided Weiss. "Why don't you go cool your head off for a bit while I chat with Ruby, how's about it?"

Ruby could hear Weiss struggle even harder against this new individual. They sounded like close acquaintances with how familiar Coco spoke to Weiss and vice versa. She wanted to look up and see what all the commotion was about, but flashes of Weiss' angry expressions throughout the evening forced her head down even lower.

"I'm seriously gunna keep you in this headlock until you agree."

"Fine if I agree to calm down and return to my seat, will you let me go?"

Coco hummed. "Yup!"

"Oh thank God, do you know how terrible that uniform smells? When was the last time you washed it?"

"Last week but cooking is messy work, cookie grumble." Coco released Weiss and commanded she turn over her briefcase and head straight to the bathroom or walk-in freezer to contemplate her actions. "Sorry about Weiss, I hope you can forgive her," Coco said directing her attention to Ruby as she claimed Weiss' spot. "Hey, c'mon, lift your head up and lemme take a gander at those silver eyes Weiss went totally gaga for."

Ruby blushed and flicked her eyes upward to meet her new dinner date. It didn't come as a surprise to Ruby that Coco was absolutely gorgeous. Everyone working in Fleur-de-lis looked like they belonged on TV or in magazines, but Coco was several steps above that. She looked like an A-list movie star with her fair skin, stylish asymmetrical hair style, and attractive facial features—even her voice managed to sound needlessly sensual despite dropping words like "douche" and "gaga". Coco was a natural, smooth talking force to be reckoned with and if Ruby wasn't so attached to weiss, she'd probably swoon.

 _'But Weiss is still way hotter, no doubt about that,'_ Ruby thought to herself in a depreciating tone.

"Yowza, you don't see that everyday!" Coco exclaimed in astonishment. She reached over and tilted Ruby's chin upwards wearing a breathtaking smile. "Pretty girl like you should never be looking down in the dumplings."

"I'm not that pretty…" Lies. Ruby knew she was quite the looker. Yang's old agency wanted her the moment she turned sixteen and still hounded her to this day.

"I can tell you're lying, but I'll ignore it." Coco settled back into her seat and stretched her arms out. "Man it feels good to finally take a break!"

"Um," Ruby said hesitantly, "who are you?"

"Oh shit, sorry!" Coco snapped back in apology. "My name's Coco Adel, Head Chef of Fleur-de-lis, and Weiss' only friend."

"Ruby—"

"Rose, I know." Coco grinned and adjusted her glasses, a similar set to Weiss'. "I've been wanting to meet you for some time now."

"Why?" Ruby asked feeling slightly frightened of the much taller woman sitting in front of her.

Coco dropped her smile and glowered at Ruby, her vibrant chocolate brown eyes darkening with predatory intent as she seethed. "Because she's mine and I won't let you take her from me."


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: So Baby Pull Me Closer**

* * *

"What?" Ruby balked, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"You heard me, she's _mine_. As in, back the fuck off before I kick your ass for even looking at _my_ girl. You get it yet?" Coco nonchalantly twirled her long strawberry blonde lock of hair slowly, licking her glossy bottom lip before biting it and grinning. The message was clear even if she hadn't said it outright, but Coco was telling Ruby she had Weiss wrapped around her finger. "Because I don't think you do, kid. Weiss is so out of your league you aren't even close to being the gum on her shoe."

Ruby quickly recovered from her surprise and glared at the bespectacled stranger. "Weiss doesn't belong to anyone," she stated unafraid of the domineering brunette. "I don't know who you are or what you mean to her, but you should apologize to Weiss for talking about her like some _thing_ you can own."

Coco smirked, blinking away the hostile aura surrounding her in an instant. "Good answer!"

"What?!" Ruby shouted getting whiplash from Coco's rapid-fire change. She was about two seconds away from tackling Coco to the ground and beating her like a piñata if she didn't get an explanation soon.

"Weiss said you aren't like the others and I should have believed her," Coco chuckled happily not noticing the aggravated look on Ruby's face. "I'm sorry if I deflated your soufflé just now. You don't have to worry about me stepping in between you two, I really am just her friend."

"Then why would you talk about her like that?" Ruby asked still apprehensive and ready to pummel Coco with the murderous crazy straw.

"Because Weiss means the world to me; she's my best friend!" Coco explained sincerely. "And since the only things I knew about you were things I learned second-hand from her, I was a little more than just worried."

"She talks about me?"

Coco rolled her eyes. "Like you wouldn't believe. So I hope you can understand why I was so hostile earlier. Weiss has a tendency to try and overcompensate for her frosting by being a little _too_ generous, if you know what I mean?"

"I would never do that!"

"And how exactly would I know that without talking to you myself?" Coco crossed her arms, the frown on her face speaking volumes of the concern she felt for Weiss. "Money doesn't mean shit to her and people like to think they can get away with being nice to her for a little extra cash."

Ruby pursed her lips together and sat in silence. Weiss didn't have that inherently wealthy vibe all rich people reeked of even though she passed on the large amount of prize money like it was nothing. Weiss herself even said it was chump change to her, so she was most likely well off, perhaps even more so but it wasn't like she was Schnee Dust Company rich… _oh_.

"I can tell by that adorable dopey look on your face that you've finally put two-and-two together." Coco ran her hand through her bangs and sighed like she had age twenty years in the ten seconds Ruby took to figure it out. "I'm not going to tell you to be careful because I really don't care about you. But Weiss does, so I'll say it for her: be careful, Ruby Rose."

"… I really had no idea she was that _Schnee_ ," Ruby said just above a murmur. "I figured the name was common in Atlas like 'Smith' or 'John' or something like that, so I didn't think much of it.

"It really isn't; Schnees are kind of like royalty where we're from. Well, in any case, you needa relax because Weiss is way too uptight to ever bend over," Coco continued on in a friendlier tone. "You have to be the one to roll with her punches or else she'll just walk all over you in those cute designer heels that make her butt look amazing."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel any better," Ruby confessed as she wiped her drying tears on her sleeves. "Why are you even talking to me still? You got your point across loud and clear."

"Hey! It's my restaurant, I can talk to whomever I want," Coco answered cockily with that infuriatingly sexy grin that Ruby swore shined brighter than the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "And since it's my restaurant, it's my face that gets dunked in the shitter when a guest—that means you, red—goes home crying."

"I-I'll just leave then…" Ruby mumbled, shrinking in on herself to avoid Coco's scrutinizing gaze.

People like Coco made her uncomfortable. They were always so larger than life and a little too… perfect and _preppy_ ; the too-cool-for-school types with the gigantic social circle and a penchant for drawing in massive drama llama herds. Ruby knew how silly it was to fall back on old high school tropes, but the bombastic brunette before her was literally everything she hated about the popular kids. Though that might have been because Coco reminded Ruby of a far less modest Pyrrha Nikos before she went and stole her lanky ex-boyfriend; nice and seemingly friendly with a poisoned dagger hidden behind her back. Ruby had learned her lesson back then and searched for all the telling signs now. She couldn't trust that smile on Coco face. She could tell her she was Weiss' best friend over and over again, but it wouldn't matter because Ruby would never trust her. No, never again.

"Naw-naw, I can't let you leave until I see a real smile!" Coco beamed trying to cheer up the redhead. "Because, honey, that'd be cruller than kicking a puppy."

Feeling the underside of her eyelid twitch, Ruby breathed in a long, deep breath and forcefully exhaled through her nose. Coco was officially worse than Yang. And it wasn't just about the puns or the fact Coco was five inches taller than her five-foot-ten sister. It was the way she looker at her that scared her. The hatred Coco brandished so boldly before had disappeared like a puff of smoke near an open window, but the cold, calculating look she had never left her eyes. Even now as Coco smiled and joked like the village idiot, Ruby could feel her dissecting everything little thing she said or did down to the atom. Yang was a force you took at face value but Coco… Coco didn't need Yang's raw physical strength to crush someone's spirit. She was smart and conniving, and that was more than enough reason to be weary of her.

Ruby looked back at Coco, smiling as best and as brightly as she could, and said, "I'd like to leave now, _please_."

"Nope!" Coco grinned, popping the P loudly. "Earlier hostilities aside, I really am trying to be nice here so sit your ass down and just wait a minute. Okay?"

Seeing that Coco wouldn't let her go without a literal fight, Ruby eased into her chair for the umpteenth time this evening and got comfortable. "If you really are Weiss' friend then why are you trying to keep me around?" she asked finally giving in. "You must've seen how badly I messed up. Weiss is never going to talk to me again."ü

"Don't say that. Look, I've known that oregano-it-all Weiss for over a decade and let me tell ya, she's a royal icing pain in the buttercups." Coco shook her head dramatically like a _seasoned_ soap opera actress. "It's just the way she was brought up. You'd think she was raised in a palace made of ice with how nippy she is.

"I really hate to fucking admit this, but there's something about you that lights her up. And let me tell you right now, you're doing a helluva lot better than I ever did. I mean, I pissed her off once so badly she hit me with her car."

"She what?!"

"She hit me with her car. _Accidently_. At least that's what she told the newspapers," Coco cackled madly, relishing the horrified look on Ruby's face. "She didn't even apologize when she went to visit me in the ICU! Hell, she gave me a potted plant for good measure."

"No way…" Ruby gasped. "Weiss would never—I mean, she's so nice!"

Coco grabbed the fishbowl and took a big swig from the rim, avoiding the death straw completely. "I heard about how you got hit by a car gawking at her and that she actually went to go helped you." She took another swig and a fishy for good measure. "That right there tells me she genuinely likes ya."

"No, it means she's a nice lady!" Ruby insisted not liking how Weiss' supposed friend spoke about her.

"Her little brother fell out of a tree once and broke his arm. She stood over the little shit sipping on some lemonade then walked away like nothing happened."

"I… you're making all this up aren't you?"

"Only the part where she didn't say sorry to me," Coco said nonchalantly. "Weiss has trouble playing nice. She's ruthlessly harsh and a bit of a bitch, but you can trust her to always tell you the truth and what's on her mind. It's one of the things I love about her."

"Thanks, now I know she absolutely fucking hates me!" Ruby groaned. Coco pushed the fishbowl towards her wordlessly. "I'm driving so no thanks."

"More for me then," the brunette happily cheered.

"Can I just go, please?" Ruby begged. "I don't want to see Weiss look at me like I'm complete piece of shit again… once is enough for a lifetime."

"That's just Weiss' normal face," Coco clarified. "Her whole family was like that, too."

Coco waved her to sit back down, promising to show her something impressive if she stayed. Lured in by curiosity, Ruby complied and rested her chin in the palm of her hand, butt planted firmly in her chair. She gave Coco a withering look who grinned sheepishly back at her before grabbing the near full fishbowl with both hands and chugging the rest down, finishing it with a dainty little burp and a polite "pardonne-moi" following shortly after.

Ruby's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Okay, that really was impressive."

"Y-You're… welcome…" Coco choked out, a little candy fish tail sticking out of her mouth like a lit cigarette.

"Now that I've seen that, I'm really going to go now…" Ruby muttered dryly as she got up and fished for her wallet.

"W-Wait! Just sit with me for another minute will ya?" Coco begged looking fairly seasick now. "Oh God, I think I'm dying—what was in that bowl?"

"Weren't you the one that sent it?"

Coco blanched. "But that but god damn!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and just as she was about to throw down enough money to pay for both her and Weiss' meal with a generous tip for Hamilton, an angel called out her name.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss shouted looking incredibly flustered. She marched up to Ruby, her heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floors. All of the guests in the restaurant turned to look at her, but Weiss ignored them and grabbed Ruby forcefully by the shirt collar.

"Wei—?!" Ruby was swiftly interrupted by Weiss' soft lips pressed against hers.

"Wuuu," Coco cheered weakly in the background, sounding more like a dying whale than the best finman to ever exist.

The shocked redhead didn't know what to do. Should she place her hands around Weiss or would that be to forward of her? It was only a chaste innocent kiss with their lips pressed together, no intrusive tonguing or excessive saliva to deal with. Was this how kissing a girl felt or was it just how kissing Weiss Schnee, the woman of her dreams, the mayo to her ketchup, the white on her rice, the—Weiss pulled away and grinned. Ruby was staring blankly back at her, slack jawed and totally confused.

"I'm only going to say this once so you better be paying attention, alright?" Ruby nodded numbly. "I didn't hear a 'Yes, Weiss'."

"Y-Yes, Weiss."

"Good." Weiss released Ruby's shirt and smoothed it out, her cheeks glowing red as she mustered up the courage to say what she needed to. "I… I'm… god damn it, I'm sorry! Okay? There, I said it. I'm sorry, alright? I acted hastily in the moment and that was wrong of me."

"Hallelujah, praise the lard!" Coco exclaimed throwing her hands up into the air in rapture. "Now giit out of my restaurant before I call the cops on you crazy kids!"

Weiss glared menacingly at Coco who grinned right back at her. "I suppose I should a thank you for stopping me from making a critical error," Coco beamed in wait, "but I won't."

"You bitch!," Coco hissed flipping her the bird.

"As much as I love listening to you simmer and stew, Ruby and I should make ourselves scarce." Weiss looked at the curious patrons watching them and bowed her head in apology. Some waved her off and cheered, while others glared and demand they take things outside. Taking all the reactions into account, Weiss looped her arm around Ruby's waist and pulled her in close enough to whisper into her ear. "Take Freddy and meet me outside while I take care of some business here. It won't take long, but if you're gone by the time I finish I'll understand

"I… I said somethings I shouldn't have and I want to properly apologize to you. So please, Ruby, wait for me?"

Ruby nodded her head and did as told. She walked mechanically towards the fugly ficus, bumping into the severely nauseated Coco by accident. The taller brunette heaved, the giant fishbowl beverage she chugged now a stormy purple sea in her violently churning stomach, but Ruby didn't care. She was far too busy thinking about the kiss. No, not the milk chocolate or even the ones she shared with Jaune and a few unnamed, blurry faced individuals she met during one of Yang's many, many house parties. It was _the_ kiss. The kiss with Weiss Schnee— _that_ kiss; the amazing, jaw dropping, mind stopping, goldfish reviving, kiss of life.

"Ruby? Hey, Ruby! You dolt, are you even listening to me?!"

Ruby shook her head vigorously from side to side, snapping out of her daze. Blinking, Ruby found herself standing next to her car looking directly at an incredibly irate Ms. Schnee.

"What?" she sputtered in confusion trying to retrace her steps.

It started with Weiss kissing her then ordering she pack up and wait outside. The last thing Ruby could clearly remember was being inside the restaurant, grabbing Freddy while Coco lumbered back into the kitchen clutching her stomach. So how exactly did she end up here and for how long? It must have been quite some time since a new couple was seated in their table about to start their main course—not that Ruby believed she and Weiss were couple because of one kiss. But the night was still young so there was still hope!

"Ugh, finally." Weiss crossed her arms and glared at Ruby. "I don't know if I should be feeling jealous or not, but since you seem to be content holding that plant, I think I'll head home for the evening."

"What?!" Ruby blinked.

Weiss smirked. "Did my kiss steal your ability to speak or have you finally lost your mind?"

"What—I mean, you kissed me…" Ruby gasped still unable to wrap her head around what happened. "After you ate me out—god damn it, I meant chew! After you _chewed_ me out. Please forget I ever said that. Please, I'm begging you."

"Lost in the gutter already I see," Weiss chuckled with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"This is all your fault you know," Ruby grumbled, leaning back against her car. "If you weren't so gosh dang beautiful and smart, I wouldn't be so tongue-tied around you."

"You think I'm beautiful?" Weiss asked quietly nearing Ruby.

"And smart. And so incredibly talented like you wouldn't believe," Ruby gushed, hiding sheepishly behind Freddy.

"I think you're pretty swell yourself, Ruby Rose." Weiss carefully pushed the ficus aside, fully revealing Ruby's face flustered face to her. Ruby somehow managed to blush even harder making Weiss smile in delight knowing she was the cause for it. "I think you should drive me home now."

Ruby was crestfallen. Even after everything, Weiss still intended to end their date prematurely. Ruby had hoped they could go on a quick cruise and take a walk in the park or maybe catch a late-night matinée. But if Weiss wanted to go home then she would take her home.

"Oh… alright," Ruby muttered sadly, "where to?"

"Good lord, don't give me that kicked puppy look!" Weiss exclaimed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Look, this is what's going to happen: you, Ruby Rose, will drive me, Weiss Schnee, to my estate here in Vale like a courteous date during which we, as in both you and I, not just myself, will converse without a certain meddlesome idiot interrupting us."

"Oh!" Ruby significantly perked up.

"Don't interrupt me," Weiss barked making Ruby nod and zip her lips shut. "Good. Now, as I was saying before you're adorable little quip disrupted me: when we arrive at my estate, I will then lead you up to my front door where I will lean in and you will match me. We kiss. Then you'll fumble trying to say goodnight, but before you turn to leave, I'll boldly ask if you'd like to come inside for a cup of coffee so we can continue our chat.

"You may now speak and voice your concerns. The plan is open to debate and flexible should a change be required."

"Weiss," Ruby said with a goofy grin as she wrapped her arm around Weiss' slender waist and pulled her in close, "I think that's a marvellous plan—all in favour say 'Aye'… aye. And I really hope you have decaf because I'm not allowed to drink coffee."

"Why not? If you don't mind me asking."

"Have you ever seen one of those annoying little dogs with the squeaky toy bark run up to their owners yap, yap, yapping away?" Weiss nodded. "Okay, now imagine that but instead of the little fur ball you imagine me, five-foot-six and incredibly athletic, jumping you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not following." Weiss frowned but leaned in closer to Ruby's radiating warmth when a chilly breeze blew past. "Why wouldn't I want you to jump me?"

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Ruby asked giving Weiss a strange look.

Weiss shrugged. "I don't know, am I?"

"E-Either way, it'll be an unpleasant experience."

"Oh no, then I guess you'll have to settle for a glass of water." Weiss kissed Ruby on the cheek and pulled away, patting Ruby's shoulder to keep her attention. "Don't just stand there, you dolt! I have work in the morning."

"R-Right!" Ruby grabbed her keys and unlocked the doors, fumbling over herself trying to secure the backseat seatbelt across Freddy's trunk and pot. "By the way, what exactly do you? You've mentioned the university a lot so are you a student or something?"

"Or something. I'm actually a professor here at Beacon Academy," Weiss informed her proudly. "Professor Ozpin called for my expertise personally."

"Really—Oww!" Ruby's head collided with the roof of her car. "God damn it… but, uh, wow. A professor, huh? I knew you were totally smart."

"I suppose you could say that."

Weiss laughed amusedly at Ruby's earnest attempts at flattery and climbed into the passenger seat, pleasantly surprised by how clean the vehicle was. Ruby got in shortly after her and started the engine, tapping the on screen of her built-in GPS.

"So where to?" Ruby asked rubbing the growing bump on her head.

"11 Everfall Grove, it's a little out of the way," Weiss said rather demurely. "I'm sorry, I'll compensate you for the trip."

Ruby typed in the address, whistling in surprise when she saw the forty-five minute estimation. "Yeah, forget the decaf. I'll need to take that coffee on the go if I want to make it back home before midnight."

"You could always stay the night," Weiss offered.

"M-Maybe…" Ruby mumbled unsure of how she felt about the connotations Weiss' offer held.

Was she excited Weiss asked to spend more time with her? Yes. A resounding yes one-thousand times over! Though, now that she thought about it, was she really going to actually "sleep" with someone? And more importantly, was she ready to take that step? One look at Weiss' face was enough to light her desires and changed the answer from a tentative "no" to a nervous "yes" with an excited lilt punctuating the S.

Weiss had the window rolled down, it was a conscious choice she made over using the AC when Ruby offered. She said something needlessly poetic about the season and how they should embrace the changes it brings—or something along those lines. Ruby was a little too "Ruby" to fully grasp what Weiss meant, but the poet herself didn't quite mind; Weiss might have just been complimenting Vale's fair weather for all she knew. But before Ruby could bother her with more questions, Weiss was back to the window, looking forward with a brilliant smile, allowing the fragrant harvesttime wind to comb effortlessly through her silky hair. Ruby could have sworn she had the Atlesian Goddess of Snow sitting in her passenger seat with the way Weiss' hair danced over her shoulder.

"So, um, dogs or cats?" Ruby asked throwing a random question out in the open. It wasn't like she hated the quiet lull in her car—oddly enough, Ruby quite liked it—she just preferred listening to the sound of Weiss' melodious voice over the muffled sound of her new tires rolling over smooth pavement. "I'm a dog person—not like a Faunus or a werewolf! I, um, dogs are cute. Heh."

Weiss politely ignored Ruby's rambling and hummed as she shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal answer. "I had horses growing up. My older sister was allergic to cats and my brother was allergic to dogs."

"What about you though?"

"Me?" Weiss smiled. "I'm allergic to stupidity."

"No really," Ruby frowned, pouting in annoyance.

"Alright, alright. I personally love dogs," Weiss said. "They're strong, loyal, smart, and incredibly affectionate when treated with proper care.

"Coco had this massive wolf hybrid growing up named Klavdiya who was almost as tall as her on her hind legs. They sadly had to put her down after she got hurt fighting a bear."

"A _bear_?" Ruby could believe the bit about a giant dog, but one big enough to fight a full-grown bear? Even Ruby had her limits.

"Mhm, Klavdiya was Coco's Father's favourite hunting dog. They went out during early winter looking for game and a grizzly found them instead. Klavdiya won and the bear's mounted in the center of Adel Manor's den."

"You're shitting me," Ruby gasped still unable to fully grasp the story she'd been told.

"It's up to you on whether or not you believe," Weiss smiled sweetly. "Just be careful when treading through my lawn. Klavdiya the Fourth dug tunnels."

They were nearing the end of Vale's modern district when Weiss decided to roll her window up. A quick, curious glance over at Weiss opened her eyes to a side of the silver-haired woman she'd never seen before. They weren't talking anymore and for the first time this evening it wasn't Ruby's fault; it was Weiss'. The older woman was deep in thought evidenced by her tightly knitted brows. Her expression was a mix between a grimace and a frown, but Ruby didn't know why. They had been laughing and joking a minute ago and Ruby was sure she hadn't said anything to ruin the mood they had going on.

"Weiss?"

"Hn…"

Weiss' head was rested against the cabin, her hands folded neatly over the leather-bound briefcase she had sitting on her lap. She stared out into the dark violet horizon, her half lidded pale ocean blue eyes focused on nothing in particular. But from time to time, and only ever during green lights, Ruby could see them drifting shyly towards her. It quickly became a silent game where Ruby would try and catch Weiss' gaze before she looked away. Ruby knew that Weiss took pity on her and let her win a few rounds. Because every so often Ruby would catch Weiss staring at her for more than just a split second. But Weiss eventually got bored and returned to her city watching or was it brooding? Ruby concluded that she was ill equipped for the matter and that she'd need to spend some time with Blake to properly learn the difference like Yang had.

The growing silence between them offered Ruby some time to think. For as long as she could remember, Ruby had never once felt this way before. The strong attraction that drew her to Weiss like the moon revolving around Remnant was nothing like the way it appeared in books and movies; it was almost terrifying how fast her life was changing. And then there was Weiss. Weiss was just so… Ruby didn't know how to explain it. Her humble vocabulary left her up a creek without a paddle. Weiss was just _Weiss_. Amazing, exceptional, and all the positive adjectives in the known universe, that's who Weiss was to her and it made Ruby's heart beat a little faster thinking that. Because that same Weiss was willing to be _her_ Weiss.

 _And holy shit, how long has she been talking?!_ Ruby's mind scrambled to an immediate halt.

"Are you alright?" Weiss asked nervously. "I wasn't boring you was I?"

"No… no! Definitely no," Ruby shouted. She risked a glance over to Weiss and saw her angel's face contorted with worry. A yellow light was coming up and Ruby slowed to a stop at the white line, thankful for the respite to give Weiss her full attention. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."

"That seems to be a fairly common issue tonight," Weiss surmised with a hum thinking back to her own moment of self-reflection.

Ruby meekly nodded and shrugged. "What can I say?"

"You can apologize first and foremost," Weiss chuckled. "But honestly, I think I'm getting sick of hearing you say that. So instead of offering me your half-hearted excuses, why don't you tell me what's going on in that cute little red head of yours instead."

"You," Ruby breathed. The light turned green, her time with Weiss coming to an eventful end. Ruby released the brake and gently pressed down on the gas pedal, rolling the vehicle forward. "It's always you. I only ever think about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah… and maybe poptarts, but mostly just you… and sometimes with poptarts."

"Forgive me but what exactly are… _'poptarts'_?"

"Only the second best thing ever!" Ruby gasped in complete and absolute horror. She was going to have to rectify this wrong the next possible chance she got.

"And the first?"

"You, always you."

Weiss looked away from Ruby and smirked, whispering beneath her breath, "And here I thought it might have been _us_."

* * *

 **Kyaaaa! Ruby, that's gay! But is Coco really just a "friend"? Yes. Yes she is. Colour Blind, like all of my WR stories thus far have had no romantic competition.**

 **Now drop a review!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven: I Get Carried Way**

* * *

Throughout the rest of their pleasant drive to Weiss' home, Ruby spent her time imagining what sort of place could possibly house the amazing Weiss Schnee. She imagined a number of lavish modern condo complexes built to the nines, but those places were best suited for the sleepless downtown Vale whereas an out of city residency called for quiet suburban living. Her thoughts then shifted to an old episode of Spongerob Cargopants involving the titular character's neighbour Squidley moving to a gated community. She brushed it aside laughing to herself quietly for even thinking it since she'd never heard of one actually built in Vale. But that opinion quickly disintegrated when Weiss explained that Everfall Grove was in fact a gated community on the outskirts of Forever Fall Forest. And now that they were pulling up to Weiss' actual homestead, Ruby had to eat her words for desert and get a healthy second helping.

When Weiss called her home an "estate", Ruby played it off as Weiss just being Weiss and that she was only saying it to sound fancy. In hindsight Ruby knew that her staunch disbelief was just a warped, last ditch effort to make herself believe she hadn't just taken one of the wealthiest women in the world out on a date.

"Holy… shit," Ruby gasped, her eyes practically bulging out of their sockets as she gazed up at the tallest gates in Everfall Grove.

Weiss' home looked like a scene straight out of a scary movie minus the shambling horrors, and rogue lightning bringing ominous shadows to life. It was hard to see, what with the vines tightly webbing across the gates. The mansion up ahead looked old and abandoned with its boarded up windows and missing shingles. But that was part three of the haunted house anthology, and Ruby still had to get through books one and two before she could even begin to think about cracking that nasty tome open.

Gulping, Ruby inched her car forward to get a better look at the dead, overgrown vines latching onto the iron bars. Now that she could see it clearly, Ruby changed her opinion of the decaying plant from a disorganized web to a horde of skeletons scaling the gate. It was a rather fitting metaphor due to it being partially true. The plant it stemmed from had died many years prior, but the dry, hollowed out mass stretching all around the gated estate was a marvel of floral vitality. Ruby wondered what could have grown large enough to cover a gate this big, but the prominent thorns dotting the gangly vines and the few leaves still clinging on made her think of roses.

In the center of the menacing entryway, supported by the twisted spiral obsidian bars and shielded from the elements by hardy tendrils, was the signature six-pointed snowflake of the Schnee Dust Company. Its sheen had worn off a long time ago, but the metal emblem still looked on imposingly.

Weiss smiled sheepishly at Ruby as she retrieved her keys from somewhere deep within her briefcase. After she found it and pushed the corresponding button, the motorized gates creaked against the vines, snapping and tugging until it inwardly swung open, splitting the snowflake straight down the middle and giving berth to the stone tiled driveway.

"Sorry for the mess, it's been ages since anyone last lived here." Weiss laughed and pushed Ruby's gaping mouth shut. She felt the redhead shiver to her touch making her inwardly smile. "But if you think Rosewood Mansion is impressive, you should see the castle I grew up in."

"You," Ruby blinked, "you lived in a castle?!"

"They call me the 'Ice Queen' for a reason," Weiss murmured, looking away with a hint of sadness buried deep within her eyes.

Weiss might have been smiling on the outside but Ruby could see right through it. She knew that dejected look well since it was the same one she wore each time she tried to convince herself in front of the mirror that she'd never see Weiss again. It broke her heart to see that look on her, yet at the same time she greatly appreciated the trust Weiss had in her.

That regal loneliness painted a quiet, sombre background wherein Weiss stood alone in her resplendent palace made of ice, looking out to the horizon. There was a wavering glimmer of hope in her sad blue eyes that struggled to uphold her dreams, but the weight of reality was bearing down on her, bringing Weiss to her knees.

"Ruby?" Weiss frowned at the airheaded redhead. "You aren't having second thoughts about me are you?"

"What? No! Oh God, no! Weiss, why would you think that?" Ruby was genuinely shocked by Weiss' question. "You're literally all I've thought about since the day we met last year."

"Then why do you keep spacing out on me during our conversations?" Weiss pleaded. "Be honest with me, please?"

Ruby chose not answer immediately, because even she was confused as to why her brain decided to stop working whenever Weiss was involved. There was just something about the way she spoke that made Ruby think in ways she never dreamed possible. Just one word or smile was all took to revive the artistic impulse Ruby left behind for practicality's sake.

"Weiss, I don't know what else to say other than 'I'm sorry'. Maybe I'm just star struck, but I really can't help it…" Ruby frowned, not at Weiss but at herself for making the older woman worry. "When you talk it's like I'm reading a textbook for the first time—not that you're boring or anything like that! I just really like books and with how smart you are, it feels like I'm always learning something knew."

"And here I thought you would say something between the lines of a sexual innuendo," Weiss said with a steadily growing smile.

Ruby blushed and shyly tucked her hair behind her left ear, an obvious flirty tell her sister informed her of whenever she brought Weiss up in conversation. But this was the first time she had done it around Weiss, Ruby wasn't exactly sure it meant the same now.

"N-No, that would be my sister's job," Ruby said with a dark blush on her cheeks. "I'd like to introduce you two one of these days."

Weiss devilishly grinned making Ruby regret whatever it was she said.

"Oh ho, introducing me to the family so soon? My, how bold of you."

"Weiisss!" Ruby groaned. She was quickly learning that her white-haired angel was really a devil dressed in white.

As the couple bickered, the vehicle continued to plod forward driving carefully over the cracked pavement. Unlike the spired iron gates, the lawn around them was teeming with life. Nature had been slowly reclaiming its land with an army weeds, knee-high grass, and what looked to be the onset of a new forest grove judging by the budding saplings spotting the area. Wild flowers were visible through the tall grass giving the lawn a healthy splash of colour between the monotonous greens and browns.

Lost in their conversation, Weiss felt the vehicle slow down to a rolling stop before noticing they were already at her front door. The strong mahogany wood painted black loomed over them like a tragically chic guillotine ready to end their date. Weiss carefully got out of the vehicle before Ruby could say anything more. She then climbed the steps leading to the main entrance and waited. But when Ruby remained rooted next to her car door, Weiss sadly accepted her date had no intention of following.

"I had a lovely evening," Weiss said, hiding behind a false polite expression.

"Yeah, me too."

Ruby gripped the top of her door and willed herself to leave it's protective barrier behind. Her feet weighed more than cinderblocks and her heart was pounding painfully against her chest, but Weiss was waiting for her.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, wondering why the redhead looked so scared. "That's far enough, I can let myself in."

"N-Nope!" Ruby feigned a smile. "We have to follow your plan, remember?"

"What plan?" Weiss tilted her head in question before remembering what she said in front of Fleur-de-lis. "Oh! That plan. Ruby, it's just coffee."

"Wait, _just_ coffee?" Ruby balked, her whole body blushing.

"Yes, what were you—oh, you thought I was inviting you in for something a little more risqué." Weiss nearly doubled over from laughter making Ruby's embarrassment reach entirely new levels. "Sorry to burst your bubble but all joking aside, I'm not that kind of girl. I have class."

"Well yeah, you're a bigshot professor…" Ruby grumbled, marching up the steps to get on with their night.

"That isn't what I meant and you know it. Plus the first term doesn't start until next month, so I'm still plain old Weiss Schnee." Weiss opened the door and let Ruby inside first. "No need to take your shoes off, this place has more dust in it than the company vault."

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Ruby whistled, her eyes drawn to the thick layer of dust coating the widow sill.

Ignoring the dust, Ruby noticed that almost all the immediate furnishings were hidden beneath white tarp. It made the spacious foyer look more like the meeting grounds of a ghostly furniture gathering than a front doorway.

Letting her curiosity take control, Ruby asked, "When did you move in exactly?"

"About a week ago to the date," Weiss said putting her keys and jacket away on an antique coat rack. "Follow me," Weiss instructed Ruby with a smile, "I've got something to show you!"

 _'You without clothes, please. God damn it, Ruby!'_ Ruby mentally slapped herself upside the head for thinking like Yang again. "L-Lead on, Ms. Tour Guide!" Ruby told Weiss with a shaky smile.

"I've been dying to show you this since our reunion!" Weiss explained, taking Ruby's hand. "It's this way!"

Ruby followed Weiss like a puppy on a leash, never straying far in fear of getting lost. But Weiss said the mansion only looked big on the outside because of the indoor pool and gym took up whole the west wing, and the makeshift green house took all of the left. The actual living area was restricted to the central building and had: one large kitchen, five bedrooms with bathrooms, a master bedroom, two studies, a library, a spacious living room, two bathrooms in the ground level and a master bathroom in the upstairs, and an attic filled with more antiques and the remnants of whatever managed to crawl up there.

Ruby knew she was asking her date a lot of useless questions, but instead of getting irritated by it like most people Weiss seemed to actually enjoy it. Each question was promptly answered with a solid sense of understanding. It was rather impressive if Ruby were being honest, but she figured it had more to do with Weiss being a trivia nerd than actual interest.

"How old is this place anyway?" Ruby asked, holding Weiss' hand a little tighter.

The silver-haired devil looked over her shoulder grinning from ear to ear. "Why? Are you afraid its haunted?"

"What?! No! I-I'm just worried about old infrastructure—yeah, infrastructure!" Ruby clamoured. "But, um, do you think it is? Haunted, I mean."

"Believe me Ruby, the scariest thing in this house is the hydro and electricity bill," Weiss told her sarcastically. "But to answer your questions: the mansion is well over two-hundred-years-old. And no, it isn't haunted.

"Fun fact, Everfall Grove was actually built around Rosewood Mansion. Back then this was all prime real estate. But ever since the last owners passed, away no one else in my family bothered to claim it. So it's fallen to complete ruin, thus dropping the area's market value far below what they should be."

"When was that?"

"About forty years ago," Weiss answered dutifully. "You can kind of tell from the overgrown lawn that this place needs some serious, and I mean _serious_ TLC."

"You're going to hire someone right?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I fully intend to once we settle in." Weiss stopped walking and told Ruby to close her eyes before they rounded the next corner. "You need to keep them shut until I say so, alright?" she said in a firm tone that left no room for arguments.

"Promise you won't let me walk into anything if I agree?"

"I promise," Weiss said.

Ruby carefully examined Weiss' excited face, gauging how truthful her beautiful date was being before closing her eyes and nodding for Weiss to continue. "This better be good!" Ruby said with a wide grin.

"Oh it will be," Weiss chuckled back.

In the darkness Ruby felt Weiss' right arm snake around her waist while her left hand held onto Ruby's, their fingers intertwined and sealed with a kiss. Ruby could feel herself tensing in Weiss' embrace. It was a strange yet pleasant feeling for Ruby since she was the sort of person who tended to avoid physical contact. It took her half a year to get used to Jaune's touch, yet here's Weiss just casually breaking through those barriers like paper.

"Almost there… and…" Weiss turned Ruby about face and scurried back to her side for the big reveal. "Open!"

Ruby quickly realized they were in the kitchen. It was barren of any personal effects but was fully modernized with only the latest in kitchen technology. Ruby's curiosity got the better of her until Weiss guided her back to the surprise. There, hanging proudly in the center of the plain white wall between a stretch of wooden cabinets was Ruby's painting "Love Forever Falls". Surprise was relatively high on the list of emotions Ruby was feeling with embarrassment and awe taking precedence over everything else.

"Well?" Weiss asked, eagerly waiting for Ruby's reaction.

"I… but how? Don bought it after the contest," Ruby said in a hushed whisper.

"Well, after I gave you the prize money I hunted him down and demanded he sell your painting to me," Weiss explained. "He initially refused but caved in when I told him of the connection I felt to you. I also begged him to give me your address or at least your scroll number so I could contact you directly, but the oaf said I'd find you again if it was truly destiny.

"I scoffed and said he was crazy for even mentioning such a thing, but I thanked him anyways; he is a friend after all."

"But you did find me, so does this mean it's destiny?" Ruby tore her gaze away from the painting long enough to see Weiss contemplate her answer. She smiled at the sight and nudged the older woman with her elbow. "You're cute when you're thinking."

"Huh?" Weiss was visibly flustered by the random comment. "What?"

"I said you're cute," Ruby chuckled. "Why? Don't believe me?"

"'Cute' isn't something I'm called often," Weiss said with a small, adorable scowl. "Ice Queen, bitch, battle-axe, slave driver, take your pick; I've heard it all."

"Those aren't really nice things to say to anyone." Ruby searched for Weiss' hand but the woman had crossed her arms in anger, so Ruby opted to do what Weiss had previously done and held her around her waist. "If it makes you feel better none of those words ever crossed my mind when I think of you."

Weiss leaned into Ruby's embrace, her eyes drifting away from Ruby's as she scoffed at the sentiment. "Flattery will only get you so far, Ruby Rose."

"Is it far enough to get that cup of coffee before midnight? Because I'm getting kind of sleepy here," Ruby said sheepishly.

Weiss nodded her head and got to work on that coffee. "How do you take your coffee?" she asked turning the café quality coffee machine on.

"Uh, cream and five sugars." Ruby expected Weiss to comment on her preference but was pleased when she didn't. "Wow, nothing? No scathing comment or snide remark?"

"Those mean the same thing, you know that right?" Weiss shot back.

"Ah, there she is!" Ruby chuckled at her bristly date.

"I simply chose not to say anything," Weiss informed Ruby with a cold undertone. "But if we are to continue _this_ , there will have to be some changes or at least have you bring over a cheap brand during the off-chance you spend the night."

"By 'this', you mean 'us'?" Ruby waved a finger between herself and Weiss indicating their unclarified relationship. "Right?"

"Of course, what else could I have been referring to? Because we certainly can't be 'just friends'." Weiss huffed as she turned to face Ruby, her nose scrunching in disdain. "I do not kiss 'friends', especially not on the first date."

"So… girlfriends then?" Ruby suggested hopefully.

Weiss glowered at her for a brief moment before relaxing and pressing a few more buttons on the coffee maker. "Now you're just being presumptuous."

"Ugh, then what?" Now it was Ruby's turn to frown at Weiss. "Because I totally want to be your girlfriend and your friend and everything else."

"You're that sure about me even though we've just met?" Weiss paused and handed Ruby a mug of the most fragrant coffee she had ever smelled in her life. "Be careful, it's still hot."

Ruby blinked at the rich brown liquid in front of her and wondered if Weiss remembered her cream and sugars. But Weiss beat her to the punch and said she take a sip of it black just to get an idea of its quality before ruining it with sweeteners.

One sip, just one sip was all Weiss was asking of her. So one teeny-tiny sip was all Ruby took, but that sip was followed by another and another and another until the cup was empty. Weiss looked so smug sipping on her coffee, Ruby didn't need to see her devilish smirk to know it.

"You win," Ruby conceded. "I totally hate bitter things but that… that wasn't half bad."

"There's hope for you yet," Weiss smiled. "It's a special custom blend we serve at Fleur-de-lis, so it's nothing at all like the generic brands you can buy elsewhere."

"That explains it," Ruby said taking the fact to heart. "What about tea? My sister's girlfriend is crazy about that stuff."

"Oh, we actually have quite a few on our tea menu," Weiss affirmed. "All custom blends as well."

Ruby set her empty mug down on the counter behind them, thinking carefully about her next set of words. Weiss seemed to catch on and did the same, remaining quiet to let Ruby speak first.

"Thanks for the coffee, Weiss," Ruby said drawing out the conversation.

"It's no problem at all," Weiss replied still intent on letting Ruby set the pace.

Ruby nodded her head and checked her watch. "Wow it's getting late, I-I should head back home…"

"Or you could stay the night," Weiss offered smoothly.

"I wouldn't want to impose," Ruby declined, swallowing the hard lump forming in her throat.

Weiss smiled and rested a hand on Ruby's forearm as a calming gesture. "I wouldn't have offered if I thought you'd trouble me."

"Alright," Ruby nodded. "Do you have a couch I can crash on? You said you just moved in so I doubt you have any of the guest rooms set up."

"They're fully furnished, but I intend to replace everything in the coming months," Weiss said drawing closer to Ruby. "And that couch in the living room is dreadfully old."

"Just like all the pickup lines my sister taught me," Ruby chuckled nervously. "Um, Weiss?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"I've never done this before…"

Weiss took a step back wearing a questioning look. "You mean with another woman or…?"

"Or." Ruby folded her hands behind her back trying to hide how scared she was from Weiss. "I never… with my ex, it just never felt right."

"And what about now? Ruby, I won't do anything you aren't ready for," Weiss gave Ruby a small understanding smile. "We can take things slow, I don't mind."

"That's the thing," Ruby cut in with a frustrated sigh. "I don't want to take it slow. I want this—I want you. Only you… but I'm scared." Ruby brought out her trembling hands, showing them to Weiss. "What if I'm no good at it or I somehow manage to hurt you?"

Weiss clasped her hands around Ruby's and brought them up to her lips. She placed a delicate kiss on their joined hands before holding them against her chest. She looked up at Ruby's misty silver eyes and smiled.

"I don't think you could ever hurt me, Ruby."

"But what if I—"

"No. Ruby, if you really do want for us to take this step then you need to do it without fear." Weiss let go for their hands and wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, pressing her body flush against Ruby's. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise you that. However, if you do decide to stay the night but choose to abstain, I will respect your boundaries. The master bed is large enough to fit three people without touching."

"I… I really want to sleep with you…" Weiss pulled back and looked at Ruby with a look of uncertainty. "I want to do both."

"Are you sure? There's no going back after this," Weiss said. "I don't want you to wake up the next morning feeling any regret, so I need you to be absolutely sure."

Ruby couldn't help the smile on her face. "Yes. I'm absolutely sure about this."

"I'll stop whenever you want me to, no questions asked."

"Only if you promise to tell me if I'm doing something wrong."

"Deal," Weiss said before claiming Ruby's eager lips for a quick kiss. "I'll need you to follow me one more time."

"Wherever you go, I'll follow."

Weiss flashed Ruby a breathtaking smile and took her hand. The older woman was calm and collected. Ruby was extremely curious if Weiss was feeling even the slightest bit nervous about taking her upstairs because Weiss sure didn't show it. The confidence in her step told Ruby that Weiss had definitely done this before. She didn't want to imagine it but Coco's stupid smug face popped into her mind when she thought of Weiss' prior experiences.

"We've been walking for like an hour, are we there yet?" Ruby complained exaggeratingly.

Weiss' grip on Ruby's hand loosened and eventually let go completely. "We've been walking for two minutes tops, and yes, we are here."

"Oh," Ruby quipped, her hand not so subtly seeking out Weiss'. "Sorry. Jitters are making me jumpy."

"Do you want to stop?" Weiss asked leading Ruby inside.

"No, I'm good. Let's continue," Ruby said with pseudo confidence.

She eagerly followed Weiss into her ridiculously oversized bedroom and readied herself for the kiss that would lead her to the bed, but Weiss surprised her once more by leaving to go into her walk-in closet. Ruby stood in the middle of the room awkwardly teetering between her heels and toes as Weiss rummaged around. The redhead couldn't help but feel small in Weiss' bedroom, it was the size of Yang's whole house for crying out loud! The ceiling was high and smooth, painted white with an ornate boarder, and one of those fancy chandeliers rich people always seemed to have in the center right above where Ruby stood. The light wasn't on, but the room was still well-lit thanks to the copious amount of moonlight filtering in through the large glass panes that completely replaced the northern wall. But ignoring the lack of privacy in Weiss' gigantic bedroom, Ruby got a great view of the red forest. There wasn't much else other than the huge bed Weiss told her about and a table near the glass wall.

It was… empty.

Ruby got a distinct feeling of sadness and loneliness despite having Weiss just around the corner. The mansion felt so devoid of life that it was suffocating. How could Weiss have so much space and nothing to fill it with? Bedrooms represented the owner's true self whether or not they themselves realize it. Her small space in Yang's house showed who she was down to a tee, so what did that say about Weiss?

When the white-haired woman finally emerged, Ruby noticed that Weiss was still dressed in her date clothes but was carrying two plush bathrobes.

"Um…?"

Weiss handed one of the robes to Ruby and ushered her to the bedroom bathroom. And unsurprisingly enough, just like the room it was linked to, the bathroom was the size of Yang's house or rather it was large enough to house Yang's house like a giant babushka doll. The bathroom was less like a bathroom and more of a personal spa resort with its fancy stone tile changing lobby. A glass window wall and sliding doors separated the lobby and the actual bathing portion of the bathroom, keeping the steam well contained. Or it would have if the room wasn't so well ventilated. But the lobby was only that, a lobby. Further in, the bathing area was twice its size leading Ruby to believe the door to her right lead to the actual lavatories. Relief washed over her when Weiss confirmed her guess. At least she didn't have to worry about feeling overexposed while she did her business.

But toiletries aside, Ruby couldn't believe her eyes when she first saw it, the crowning jewel of Weiss' extravagant bathroom. So Ruby politely averted her attention to the cubby shelves she assumed would hold her clothes and shoes. There was even a nice stack of fresh clean towels in a basket next to an empty one designated for the used towels. But try as she might, Ruby couldn't hold herself back from commenting on the absurdity she saw.

When she first called it a spa, she was only joking. A little humour to break the tension but then she saw it, the stereotypical pretty lady fountain statue with the upturned vase over her shoulder that poured water into a basin at her feet. Only she wasn't a small fountain fixture and the water she never-endingly poured wasn't cold, it was hot and steamy. Though the real kicker here wasn't the giant wet lady pouring out a literal waterfall in Weiss' bathroom, it was the medium sized swimming pool the vaguely familiar looking statue was kneeling in front of.

Ruby had to mentally kick herself for the thirtieth time this evening. After all that she'd seen, she still dared to hope that Weiss might've had a normal bathroom.

"Weiss, I get that you're ballin', but why do you have a swimming pool in your bathroom?" Ruby asked seriously dumbfounded and half tempted to giggle at the statue's exposed right tit.

"It's not a pool, it's an indoor hot spring," Weiss explained. "It's great for relaxing those tense muscles after a long day of hard work. But, um, if you wish to use it, please use the shower station to your left and rinse thoroughly before slipping in."

"You say hot spring but all I hear is pool."

Weiss pinched Ruby cheek and said, "I don't like it either! That thing," she gestured to the sexy kneeling wet lady, "looks like my mother!"

"Coincidence or…?"

"Coincidence, all Schnee women born in the family tend to look the same."

"Are you letting me use this place to help me get used to you seeing me naked or do you really just not what to use it?" Ruby asked incredulously now that she could see the clear resemblance.

"I'm flattered you think I'm considerate enough to think that, but the sad truth is I hate this bathroom with a passion and the only other working one is at the other end of the estate." Weiss crossed her arms, glaring menacingly at the statue. "So unless you want to risk getting lost in the hallways forever, I suggest you suck it up and enjoy the lap of luxury—but not on the statue's actual lap, do you hear me?! I won't tolerate you cheating on me with that bitch."

Ruby hugged the ridiculously plush bathrobe close to her body and nodded. "Yes, ma'am! Understood, ma'am!"

"If it didn't have that freakish gargoyle staring me down, I'd probably have a much better opinion of it."

"Why not take it down then?"

Weiss quirked her eyebrow and grinned. "I'm five steps ahead of you, Ruby. Look beside it, do you see it?"

"Is… is that a sledge hammer?" Ruby asked, squinting into the distance. The hammer was a truly menacing, but the strange yellow objects floating in the hot water detracted from it. _'Does Weiss have a thing for rubber ducks?'_

"Yes," Weiss said accidentally confirming Ruby's silly thought.

The redhead held back her snickering laugh knowing Weiss' answer had nothing to do with the yellow rubber floaties. "You really hate it that much, huh?" she asked getting back on topic.

Weiss eagerly nodded. "I'm waiting for Coco's next day off to smash that thing into oblivion! Then I'm going to renovate all this boring white marble into slate grey tiling and maybe add a nice rock waterfall.

"And after that's all done, I may consider joining you in there for a moment of relaxation. But for now Sister Marguerite's stone-faced company shall have to suffice in my place."

"Sister Marguerite?" Ruby snorted. "The statue has a name?"

"Yep," Weiss said popping the "P" like Ruby did. "But if she creeps you out, you can do what I do and throw a wet towel on her face. Hard. Mercilessly even."

"And make her look like a corpse?!" Ruby yelped in fright. "Nope! Sister Marguerite better keep her eyes to herself or that sledgehammer is going to make a new friend."

"Alright then," Weiss chuckled as she turned to leave. "Feel free to use anything you want in there. Mi casa es su casa, as the Vacuoans say."

Ruby poked her head out of the bathroom lobby to see if Weiss was still around but she found that she was alone with Sister Marguerite. Ruby sighed and begrudgingly closed the door behind her, locking it in case Weiss wasn't as chivalrous as she seemed. Sending a quick glare and a silent warning to the statue, Ruby began undressing. It felt weird, Ruby concluded by the time her panties hit the floor. Ruby knew she was completely alone, but she couldn't help but feel small and nervous. The bathroom was just so huge it felt like she was about to walk around a public place buck-naked.

"Might as well get this over with," Ruby told herself with a sigh.

She grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around her body, the idea of being naked in such a large space was still uncomfortable for her.

"Sex better live up to the hype," Ruby grumbled as she begrudgingly made her way into the bathroom.

The first step inside was surprising to say the least. There was a constant warmth filling the room that made Ruby's skin tingle with goosebumps. She expected it to be stifling and humid inside the bath thanks to the steamy water Sister Marguerite's infinite water jug expelled but no, it was easy to breathe with a delightful citrus tang lingering in the air.

"Fancy," Ruby said ogling every corner of Weiss' luxury bathroom.

To her left in the upper corner was the shower station, a humble tempered glass cubicle with two shelves one lined with haircare products and the other for body wash. It was a deceptively simple set up compared to the elaborate decor lining everything else.

Ruby neared the shower wearily, the heated tiles and rolling warmth making her feel like she was treading through the belly of a beast. There was no telling what she'd find until she pushed the sliding doors open and reveal what the fogged over glass concealed.

 _Swoosh_

"Huh?" Ruby blinked and entered, sliding the door behind her. "Well whaddaya know, it's totally… HOLY MOTHER OF—SISTER MARGUERITE!?"

If statue presiding over the hot spring could laugh, she'd be laughing her rock-hard butt cheeks off right about now; her much smaller twin had just scared the living crap out of Ruby.

"God damn it!" Ruby screamed, her backside flush against the opposite wall facing the miniature Marguerite. "Who the hell keeps a statue in the shower?!"

Novelty systems weren't too common compared to their more practical siblings here in Vale. And the few that littered the infinite internet space were worth the chuckles, but _this_ … this was definitely not worth her reaction and the thousands, if not hundred-thousands, of lien it probably cost to commission.

Right off the bat it was easy to tell that Mini-Marguerite wasn't as flawless as Mega-Marble-Marguerite and showed signs of age, most notably around her hollowed out eyes, which were flaking off around the edges, and the fact she was missing her lower jaw entirely. Marguerite's water jug and arms were also missing, the jagged ridges around the location telling a tragic story of struggle—for the person not the statue.

The stalemate between Ruby and statue continued with Marguerite staring at her latest victim like an eyeless demon, taunting Ruby to try anything against it. Honestly, Ruby had more than half a mind to grab Weiss' sledgehammer and introduce it to Sister Marguerite's petite soeur. She weighed the tempting possibility against her better judgement, but ultimately decided to let Mini-Marguerite live just so she'd have the satisfaction of destroying her with Weiss on a later date.

Girlfriends who smash stuff together stay together, right?

"Okay, so how the hell do I turn this thing on?" Ruby shuddered at the double-entendre.

Her eyes scanned the cubicle for a shower head of any kind and found it in the ceiling directly above her. With that mystery solved, Ruby moved onto the next query: how to turn it on. Because other than the shelves holding all of Weiss' various haircare and body products, the creepy statue was the only thing that stood out. Following the rule of elimination, Ruby swallowed her fear and turned the statue all the way to the left… which she quickly learned was terrible, terrible idea.

Scalding hot water rained down from the heavens, drenching Ruby from head to toe with hellfire. Her hands frantically cranked the statue to the right, then to the left, then back to the right, a little to the left once more, and finally the perfect temperature was achieved. It was an ordeal and a half to get there, and Ruby was once again redder than her namesake, but it was worth it.

Oh so worth it.

Ruby could feel all her stress wash away with the heated rain, her worries a thousand miles away. The raining shower was definitely a nice change from the pressurized one at Yang's that pelted her hard enough to make her wince. It was just a shame that the rain wasn't heavy enough to massage her tense muscles.

After a quick rinse Ruby turned the water off and left the shower, her wet towel wrapped tightly around her body. She decided to forgo the shampoo and body wash entirely, preferring her natural scent over the foreign Atlesian bottles lining the shelves. Plus it felt oddly wrong to try and mask herself mere minutes before being intimate with someone. A blush spread across Ruby's cheeks or it would have if she weren't already so flushed.

"Should have made it a cold shower," Ruby lamented as she swatted away the steam and passed the hot spring and its basket of… "Lemons?" Gripping her towel tight, Ruby knelt down next to the container and read the note attached to it out loud. "Dear Frosty, lemon aid you with your stress problems. Love, Coco." Looking between the soggy note and the many undamaged lemons floating in the spring, Ruby painfully groaned, "Lemon aid… lemonade... lemme aid. She's worse than Yang. But at least I know they aren't rubber duckies now."

 _Love, Coco._

The phrase repeated itself again in Ruby's mind, turning frown quickly into a sneer. _Love, Coco._ Hearing it again, this time in the addresser's sultry voice, made Ruby's stomach churn.

' _They're friends,'_ Ruby told herself. "And so was Pyrrha."

Ruby hastily grabbed the lemon at the top of the pile and threw it at Sister Marguerite's face as hard as she could. The lemon soared through the air, cutting straight but missing the statue's head by a hair's width. Ruby reached for another lemon, eager to tweak her aim and clock the nightmarish sister, but the sound of Weiss' voice stopped her.

"Ruby?" Weiss called from outside the bathroom. "I need to make a quick phone call downstairs. Take your time, I don't know when I'll be done."

"Alright!" Ruby shouted as she placed the lemon in her hand back down.

Of course Ruby had no interest in staying any longer than she needed to. The steam was starting to get to her and that was never a good sign, Blake's books taught her that much. So Ruby left the lemons and the sisters on death row behind.

 _Love, Coco._

Ruby was in the middle of towelling herself off when the forbidden phrase popped back into her head. She gritted her teeth and forced the thought back out before she tossed her towel into the used bin.

"Alright, just email the rest to me when you have the chance," Weiss' voice echoed in the hall. "Mhm, of course, I expect only the best from you, you ingrate… yes, good night to you as well and give my regards to Velvet."

Weiss was practically outside her bedroom door now. Ruby had to decide quick if she wanted to keep Weiss from waiting on her, but what to do? The choices were getting harder to settle on with each step Weiss took. Should she wear her big girl undies or go commando under her robe?

"God damn it, Coco, would you just hang up?" Weiss shouted, her voice just past the bathroom door. "I don't care about the oregano! Just order it and—no, you know what? Good night!"

After hearing Coco's name and the angry tone Weiss said it with, Ruby felt the smart thing to do was give Weiss a second to breathe and calm down. It really was for the best. Ruby noticed that she had a tendency to push all the wrong buttons when it came to Weiss and she really wasn't looking forward to spending the night on the couch, so she took her time slipping back into her underwear.

After securely tying her robe's sash around her waist, Ruby began thinking about what she'd heard. She didn't know what could've been so important that the brunette had to call Weiss after midnight.

 _'Maybe she was worried about Weiss,'_ Ruby thought but quickly dashed it away with another. _'Nah, she doesn't seem the type. Otherwise she wouldn't have let me leave with Weiss so easily.'_

Sighing, Ruby gave up. There wasn't any point in worrying herself silly over a phone call. And plus, Weiss was with her tonight not Coco; that gave a healthy boost to Ruby's bruised ego.

"Okay, let's do this!" Ruby said psyching herself up. "Game time, Ruby, don't fuck up."

Ruby strutted out of the bathroom, holding her head high with confidence. She was strong, sexy, and she knew it; Weiss was going to enjoy unwrapping this particular present. Ruby hoped to catch Weiss eagerly waiting for her by the bed but instead she was greeted with a sight straight out of a painting.

The blue-eyed woman was leaning against her panoramic window, gazing out at the moon with her mind a million miles away while she sipped on a tall glass of wine. The moonlight bouncing off of her snowy hair made the silken threads resplendent, but the morose expression Weiss' half lidded eyes held made her look more like a lunar goddess pining for her distant realm than an aristocrat watching over her lands.

Weiss cradled her elbow with her free hand, her shoulder pressed firmly against the window pane. Ruby approached her quietly, tiptoeing around her so she could hold Weiss from behind. The older woman didn't seem to mind or even notice Ruby snake her arms around her waist, but she did lean in when Ruby placed a light kiss on her temple.

"Hey," Ruby said as she nuzzles her nose against the nape of Weiss' neck.

"Hello," Weiss replied taking another sip of wine before offering it to Ruby. "It's a vintage bottle of Rosé d'Anjou, I think you'll like it."

"Well, roses are kind of my thing so… eh, why not!" Weiss chuckled at Ruby's enthusiasm and tipped the glass to give the girl a taste. "Oh wow, that's really sweet—annd there goes the aftertaste…"

"Aftertaste aside, how did you find it?" Weiss asked.

"Pretty good," Ruby quipped. "Totally different from those cheap bottom shelf bottles."

"I would hope so since this bottle probably costs more than your average Beacon tuition," Weiss said dryly. She offered the glass once more before downing the rest with a content sigh, enjoying the feel of Ruby's strong arms around her too much to move. "Did you enjoy your shower?"

"Yeah," Ruby hummed, her nose buried deep in Weiss' rose scented hair. "You smell pretty."

"Thank you."

"Oh! That reminds me, did you know you have lemons in your swimming pool?" Ruby quickly added.

"I haven't shown you that part of the mansion yet."

Ruby shook her head. "No, the one in the bathroom. You've got lemons floating in it."

"What?"

"Coco left you a basket full of 'em, too."

"Oh for crying out loud! I told that idiot to stop wasting them," Weiss groaned in exasperation. "Was there a note?"

"Y-Yeah…" Ruby managed to force out. _'Love, Coco.'_

"Well? What did it say?"

Ruby sighed and pulled away, her eyes downcast and crestfallen. It was only a passing glance but Ruby could see the bottle of Rosé on the table closest to the panoramic wall. She took Weiss' empty glass from her hand, not needing permission to do so, and went to fill it up. Ruby could feel Weiss' curious gaze burrow holes in her back, but she needed a little help from some liquid courage to bring up what she wanted to say.

"Is everything alright, Ruby?" Weiss asked not liking the sudden silence between them.

Ruby poured an ounce of wine into the glass, downing it in one gulp like a shot before pouring much more. With a healthy amount of alcohol coursing through her system, Ruby returned to Weiss' side.

"Can I ask you something that's been bugging me all night?" Ruby took a sip of wine then offered it to Weiss who eagerly accepted it.

"Go right ahead."

Taking a deep breath, Ruby asked, "Is there something going on between you and Coco? I-I know it really isn't my place to try and assume anything, but you guys seem really close and—"

"Is that all?" Weiss chuckled. "Aside from being my business partner, Coco's my best friend. We've known each other since we were children and yes, there is history between but that's considerable seeing as she's also my ex-wife."

"What?!" Ruby was glad she'd given the wine glass to Weiss because she would've dropped it right then and there.

Weiss drank her liquor with a refined countenance, her face impassive as she gauged Ruby's mental state. "Did she not tell you?"

"No, but I wish she had…"

"I see," Weiss said with a frown. "I suppose this is where you question my morals and my reason for pursuing you."

"Kind of… but I only want answers, I know you aren't like most people; you won't hurt me," Ruby told Weiss, smiling weakly at her. "I believe you when you say you like me, it's Coco I don't trust."

"Then allow me to put your fears to rest," Weiss said in a much lighter tone. "She and I were married, and we were happy. But that was only because we knew we weren't meant to be. We agreed that if either one of us found someone we truly loved, we'd separate without a fight. She found Velvet and," Weiss reached out and touched Ruby's cheek, "I found you.

"Love isn't as straight forward as society tries to make us believe. It isn't always romantic. And while there was a time when she and I were in love, that time has passed; just like the seasons.

"When you and I met, I felt something that I never felt with her; it was electrifying. I went home that evening unable to think about anything else. I never believed in love at first sight, and I still don't, but I do believe in destiny and in what I feel."

"I felt the same thing, too." Ruby found the courage to touch Weiss again, only this time she didn't feel the lingering hesitation that froze her in place.

"A lot of things happened in the year we were apart. Some good and some _bad_ ," Weiss said touching the fresh scar healing above her eye. "We have all the time in the world to piece things together. I'm just glad my leap of faith lead me back to you."

Ruby smiled and took the wine glass from Weiss, finishing it off before she put it away next to the bottle of Rosé.

"Can I ask you one last thing?" Ruby turned to face her soulmate, a burning desire shining clear in her moonlit silver eyes.

"Anything."

"I need to hear it from you. Straight forward with no misdirection," Ruby said firmly. "I can't commit to this until you say it."

"Alright, what is it?"

"Do you still have any feelings for Coco? And I don't mean the kind you'd have for a friend or someone who's practically family." Ruby stood her ground. "Are you still _in_ love with her?"

Weiss looked Ruby dead in the eye and said, "No. Coco is my best friend. I will always love her, but only as my sister and closest confidant."

"And what about her?" Ruby asked. "Do you think she feels the same way you do?"

"Darling, please, who do you think convinced me to move to Vale in the first place?" A mirthful chuckle rumbled in Weiss' chest, her eyes telling a story Ruby wanted to ask about later. "When I told her about you, she practically threw the divorce papers at me asking when the wedding was."

"Really?"

Weiss quirked her scarred eyebrow at Ruby. "Where do you think I got this giant paper cut from?"

"I know that's a lie but I can still see it happening," Ruby shot back with a pout.

"So, is there anything else you want to ask me?"

Ruby shook her head and embraced Weiss fully. "No, just promise you'll be gentle and that you won't laugh at how bad I am at this."

"Can't have been worse than my first time," Weiss said, whispering in Ruby's ear. "Just do what your body tells you to do. This isn't just sex, Ruby. I want to connect with you. I want to love you, so I need you to trust in me."

"I trust you," Ruby confessed without thinking, her heart taking the lead. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Let that be the first and the last," Weiss said. "We have a long way to go together, but I'll be there with you every step of the way.

"Now, are you sure you want to do this? There's nothing here that dictates what we should do. If you're uncomfortable with anything, I want you to tell me."

"I want this."

Weiss sought for the truth in Ruby's eyes and found it soon enough. There wasn't a single shred of doubt or hesitation like she'd seen earlier down in the kitchen. Instead, Ruby was confident in her decision and that was all Weiss needed to know before she leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

 **This chapter was a long time coming—literally! It's been years since this story first came out and I'm excited to get to this portion.**

 **In regards to Weiss' scar, if you flip back to previous chapters there was never any mention of it meaning it's recent. Cutting one's hair is also a sign of beginning anew, hence her much shorter haircut in the current events. And I really hope people know me enough to tell that I put a lot of meaning between the lines.**

 **Now a little bit about Coco. If you follow any of my other stories you can see the parallels in Weiss' relationships right away. I had always planned to give Weiss that secular friend, but none of the characters gave off the proper vibe until Coco appeared in the second season. Her place in the** _ **Sharkyverse**_ **is integral to any story she appears in, past, future, and present AUs, it doesn't matter. That's why my updates were slower than needed be. I had to find the right person. And that person is Coco.**

 **Her role shall always be Weiss' platonic soulmate with Ruby being her romantic one. This will never change. Tested time and time again, but their dynamic will always snap back into place. I also wanted it to properly reflect Weiss as a person when it comes to love and friendship. To her she sees Coco as someone so integral to her life that any misconceptions and allegations can be laughed off. It also affects Ruby because it takes a truly mature individual to understand that their significant other can have other people in their lives without it being romantic.**

 **Colour Blind, Nature's Wrath, and anything I come up with in the future will always have deeper multifaceted views on love and friendship with a focus on trust.**

 **That being said, one of the lemons in Sister Marguerite's hot spring really was a rubber ducky.**

 **Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed the story! It lets me know the story still garners enough attention to warrant my time to update considering I have about a million other things I want to write and share.**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight: Keep This One a Duet**

* * *

Ruby hated mornings. She absolutely loathed and detested them. If she could, she'd swear all sunlight off and live nocturnally like a caffeine dependent hamster. But if she did that she'd miss out on the morning after, which, Ruby learned, was the best part of being intimate with someone as radiant as Weiss. The endorphins coursing through her veins made Ruby feel extremely happy even though her head felt like it was swimming through a pool of thick, cottony clouds. She could feel the warmth radiating off of Weiss' soft skin, the delicate curves of her petite body, and that perfectly pert ass Ruby was quickly growing fond of.

Running her fingers down the curve of Weiss' trim waist, Ruby sleepily left a trail of light kisses across her lover's shoulder. Weiss let out a girlish giggle as she leaned in closer to give Ruby's wandering lips better access.

"Someone's in a good mood," Weiss sighed breathily as she soaked in the attention.

Ruby stopped her aimless exploration of the newly charted snowy expanse to kiss Weiss' cheek. "Who wouldn't be when they get to wake up next to you?" she said on a whimsy, not thinking of the connotations her rhetorical query carried.

"You say that now," Weiss chuckled dryly with a hint of experience backing her claim, "but give it some time, you'll quickly grow to dread it."

"Why," Ruby yawned, "do you snore?"

" _No_ , but according to trustworthy sources, I wake up at ungodly hours," Weiss stated putting direct emphasis on her denial.

"Try me," Ruby challenged with a cocky smirk.

"It's seven o'clock right now—"

"Pssh, that's nothing!"

"That means, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Weiss looked pointedly as Ruby, her mussed hair taking away most of her bite, "I overslept two extra hours."

Ruby blinked. "Come again?"

"Simple math eludes you in the morning I see."

"Don't be a stinker, just answer the question!" the younger woman pouted.

"I wake up at five almost every day," Weiss explained. "Getting to know you took up quite a bit of my designated sleep hours."

"Oh, I apologize for the inconvenience, your highness!" Ruby theatrically apologized. That earned her a giggle and a playful nudge. "I'm serious here," Ruby pouted earning her a kiss from the enamored Schnee. "Sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle as is nutrition and exercise."

Weiss moved to lay on her back, her shoulder aching from her prolonged rest. "Why would my lifestyle be of any concern to you?" she asked out of innocent curiosity, not intending for it to sound so discordant.

Thankfully, Ruby didn't see it as such and responded appropriately. "I want to spend as much time with you as possible," she said obdurately. "But I can't do that if you've already got one foot in the grave."

"How do you know I'm not well on my way already?" Weiss hummed, her eyes lighting in amusement.

"I'm being serious here!" Ruby pouted, the thought of Weiss dying saddening her.

"As am I." When Ruby didn't immediately respond with something rational or quirky, Weiss knew she'd said the wrong thing. Not wanting the uncomfortable moment to linger any longer than it had, Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's midsection and dragged her down so she could rest her head on Weiss' chest. "Had you said that half a year ago, I wouldn't disagree. But, to your luck and mine, the doctors have given me a clean bill of health; I'll be here for a long while."

"What happened last year?" Ruby asked curiously, concern evident in her expression. Weiss flashed her a weak smile that made her halt any further questions. "Never mind, you don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable with."

"Thank you but I'm surprised you don't already know," Weiss said a little baffled. "What happened isn't exactly a secret. Even my divorce garnered some attention before it got brushed aside for newer gossip. But maybe it's a regional thing… hm."

"Are you talking about an Internet search?" Ruby blinked as Weiss nodded in response. "Isn't that a little… creepy?"

"You get used to it," Weiss muttered nonchalantly as if it were a daily occurrence.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you're used to it or not," Ruby said heatedly, her chin resting on Weiss' sternum. "I'd rather learn about you through our talks. Your social media is your business, not mine."

"I don't have any social media accounts—wait, I've been meaning to ask, but do you not know who I am?"

"Pfft, that's a dumb question, you're Weiss!" Ruby chirped happily. "You're my sort-of-but-not-really girlfriend who I totally did the do with—no take backs! You had your chance."

Now it was Weiss' turn to blink in a daze.

"Wow, this is… this is a first for me," Weiss said in astonishment. "But it all makes so much sense now."

"What does?" Ruby askes with a smile.

Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Weiss was left speechless for the first time in years. While she came to terms with her situation, she stroked Ruby's hair affectionately. The younger woman hummed in delight, her morning a thousand times better now that Weiss was awake.

"Coco was right about you," Weiss whispered, her tone light yet heavy with meaning.

Ruby's smile lost a little of its joy when she heard the name leave Weiss' lips.

"She figured you were the type who didn't follow celebrity gossip. I guess this confirms it," Weiss continued, chuckling at a joke Ruby didn't know about. "It seems I owe her a new car."

Spurred on by jealousy, Ruby puffed out her cheek and lightly chomped on Weiss' right breast.

"Hey!" Weiss yelped in surprise. "What was that for?!"

"For making me jealous!" Ruby grumbled, taking another bite. Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm being serious here!"

"No, you're being childish," Weiss barked bluntly as she pushed Ruby off of her.

The fight with Penny came rushing back like a slap to the face when Weiss got out of bed. Ruby couldn't even enjoy the view because her cruel, thoughtless words to the younger girl made Ruby's stomach tie itself into a knot. Shifting in bed so she could hold her knees to her chest, Ruby thought about what she'd done wrong while Weiss rummaged around in her closet.

It was becoming glaringly obvious to her that she wasn't as mature as she played herself up to be. Penny was leaps and bounds ahead of her if she was able to stay Ruby's friend without wanting more. And compared to Weiss and her ability to remain happily platonic with her ex-wife, Ruby was nothing more than a crying child sitting in soiled diapers.

Weiss stepped out of her closet looking like a million lien before Ruby could delve deeper into her self-deprecating thoughts. The wealthy woman adjusted her glasses and smoothed out her snow-white blouse and skirt. Her eyes were purposely avoiding Ruby's awed gaze, though the faint blush on her cheeks told the redhead she'd at least been noticed. Weiss looked positively angry, no doubt at Ruby for questioning her intentions, but something in the way her lips tugged downward told the sombre painter otherwise.

"Listen," Weiss said carefully.

Hope of a reconciliation bloomed in Ruby's chest when Weiss finally looked her way. The icy blue irises framing Weiss' pupils captured Ruby's attention in rapt admiration. Terrified and bare as she was, Ruby couldn't deny the fact that Weiss was still beyond beautiful even though she looked about ready to fillet her like a fish.

"I _really_ like you, Ruby, and I would like nothing more than to properly court you," Weiss explained, her voice sharp and to the point. "But if choosing you means I lose the one person that's always been by my side, then I'm sorry. I would rather give up my entire fortune and everything I have than lose Coco's friendship and trust. And yes, that sadly includes my chances of being with a woman as enchanting as you."

"Weiss, I—"

Weiss held her hand out and effectively put a stop to whatever Ruby had to say. "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen. Feel free to come down whenever you're ready."

Alone and naked in Weiss' giant bedroom, Ruby felt small and helpless. Most of her jealousy had abated during her session with Weiss, her insecurities and shortcomings lost in the wake of Weiss' soft words and gentle ministrations. A blush crept on her cheeks as she recalled everything Weiss did to her in stunning high definition. Her own mind betrayed her by narrating the erotic scene using a sensual vocabulary Ruby didn't know she was capable of until that moment.

Weiss made her feel things she didn't know she could feel, and how did she repay her? By unfairly questioning her and lumping her in with Jaune and Pyrrha. They weren't even officially together yet and Ruby was already scared she'd walk in on Weiss and Coco doing something inappropriate behind her back. It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it because she knew Weiss wasn't that sort of person.

"Ugh!" Ruby groaned as she threw herself back into the plush, downy pillows. "Why am I so hung up on this?"

Drawing the blanket up and over her head to block out the sun, Ruby willed her eyes shut. The stuffy heat her breathing caused did little to replicate the warmth Ruby felt when Weiss held her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she touched her in places only she'd ventured to.

 _'What are you doing, Ruby?'_ she asked herself angrily. _'You're ruining your shot with Weiss!'_ Ruby whimpered at the severity her mental voice berated herself with. _'Stop being such a pussy and go down there and apologize. Woman up for fuck's sake!'_

Ruby threw the blanket off and jumped out of bed, completely forgetting she was buck-naked and littered with love bites.

"Woops," Ruby blushed.

Not wanting to waste anymore time than she already had, Ruby found her discarded underwear and retrieved her clothes from the extravagant bathroom. She dressed as quickly as she could, her eyes only drifting to the sister on death row every so often. If Marguerite could speak, Ruby wondered what she might have said about the army of hickeys marching down her backside. Weiss had really gotten carried away last night, not that Ruby was complaining, just surprised and a little—or a lot—turned on.

"Get it together, Ruby…" she told herself as she pushed past the mental image of Weiss' head dipping between her legs, her steely-blue eyes locked onto her hazy silver ones. Ruby violently shook her head and slapped her cheeks, donning her "game face" as she marched out of the room awkwardly; she was a little sore down there and everywhere else.

After five minutes of aimless wandering, Ruby finally found the kitchen, and inside it like she said she would be was Weiss enjoying her morning coffee. The wealthy woman was seated in front of her laptop reading the news in a language Ruby couldn't read or understand. Weiss' back was turned to her and she hadn't heard her approaching, so Ruby took the opportunity to quietly enjoy the view. She loved how Weiss made something as mundane as a morning ritual seem sophisticated. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the chaotic breakfasts at Yang's. Someone was always yelling about something or other, and Yang's workmates were always crowding the dinner table leaving no room for any one else. Blake had a special spot on the kitchen counter behind Yang's chair, while Ruby got squished between the most muscular men in the landscaping industry. It would've been nice, maybe a dream come true for some girls, but to Ruby it was a nightmare.

Imagining the mayhem going on at Yang's place, Ruby swallowed her pride and went to hug Weiss. The quiet older woman, to her credit, hadn't held the grudge like Ruby feared she would.

"I'm sorry," Ruby whispered, kissing the shell of Weiss' ear.

Weiss calmly sipped on her beverage, eyes glued to the foreign headlining article. "Don't apologize to me," she said after putting the half empty mug down. "I'm not the one you have a problem with."

"I still owe you an apology for upsetting you though."

"I'm not upset," Weiss sternly corrected her. "A little sad perhaps, but definitely not upset. I mean, how can I? It isn't my place to tell you what you can and can't feel."

"But still…"

Weiss shook her head disparagingly. "Ruby, can I ask why Coco unsettles you?" she bluntly asked. "I mean, I'll be the first to admit it, she is a little _extra_ , but you're not so shabby yourself, Ms. Punk Rock."

Nuzzling her face into Weiss' fluffy hair, Ruby struggled to take her date's words to heart. Because how could she? If Coco was considered "a little extra" then Weiss was the full unimpeded word: extraordinary.

"Hey, stop that, you dolt! It tickles," Weiss giggled charmingly as she pried Ruby's arms off of her. "Come and sit in front of me so we can properly talk."

Ruby groaned out loud and trudged towards the offered seat, plopping down and resting her head on the cool surface of the table. "Weiss," she whined, "forgive me for being a dolt!"

"I already told you that my forgiveness won't accomplish anything."

"But it'll make me feel better," Ruby pouted doing her best impression of a pleading puppy.

Weiss rolled her eyes, her love-struck heart thumping wildly in her chest. "Fine, you're forgiven. All is well. Sunshine is about, and all that happy shit the neurotypicals blather on about."

"No, you have to mean it!"

"I'm sorry—wait, why am I apologizing?!" Weiss buried her embarrassed face in the palm of hand. "Ugh, do you see what you do to me?"

"Hey, you should see what you do to me! It's totally not fair."

"Oh, I know exactly what I did to you," Weiss said huskily with a sexy grin.

Ruby tapped her chin in thought and said, "Care to reiterate that?"

"How about a demonstration instead?"

"I'd prefer that, yes," Ruby answered trying her best to sound posh. "I'm a hands-on learner if you haven't noticed."

"Believe me," Weiss chuckled, "I've noticed."

"So head back upstairs or—?!"

The sound of the front door opening and shutting interrupted the playful mood.

"What are they doing home?" Weiss commented in surprise, the mood completely broken as she shoulder checked the entryway behind her.

"Who's home?" Ruby blinked.

On cue, Coco and a mousy woman—a rabbit Faunus by the looks of it—walked in side by side. The tall bespectacled chef was carrying a wicker basket with the other woman's arms looped possessively around her left elbow.

The first thing Ruby noticed about the long eared stranger were her gentle brown eyes and smile, a clear contrast to Coco's cocky smirk and smug stare. She had this calming air about her yet she couldn't keep herself still. The stranger's eyes were always subtly checking her surroundings as she gave Coco's arm a small squeeze either to reassure herself the other woman was still beside her, or to keep said woman in check while they were with company. Ruby couldn't decide which seemed more plausible so she dropped it. Their dynamic wasn't much different than Yang and Blake's, perhaps they could even—

"Bonjour ma belle amie!" Coco beamed, unknowingly cutting Ruby's thoughts short. "You look about ready to give someone frostbite, Weiss."

"Coco, Velvet, what a… _surprise_ ," Weiss said in a withering tone, her eyes narrowing to glare at Coco. She looked at Ruby with a sidelong cursory gaze, dropping the fake smile she wore when she saw her new lover's awkward gawking. "Ruby, close your mouth; you'll catch flies."

"Sorry…"

"Coucou, red!" the chef greeted excitedly. "I was wondering whose swanky ride it was parked outside."

"Coco, Coco, who's this?" the mousy woman asked quietly, her head tilted in question. Her voice held a lot more confidence than her body language suggested which surprised Ruby more than she expected.

"Frosty's new squeeze, mon amour," the chef answered her fondly. "I told you about her, remember?"

"Oh!" she gasped with slightly wider eyes. "It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Velvet, Coco's better half."

"My better and far more humble other half," Coco teased with a lovesick smile.

"Ru-Ruby…" the redhead replied shyly.

"Weiss, she's so pretty," Velvet said cheerily while Coco nodded in agreement.

The wealthy woman scrunched up her nose and bashfully scoffed at the comment. "I suppose you could say that," Weiss said shooting Ruby another furtive glance. She was rather disappointed when she saw her potential suitor glaring a hole in her table with a pronounced scowl marring her enchanting features. "But then again I'd never be caught dead consorting with someone subpar. Ruby is adequate."

"And what's that supposed to mean, you jerk?" Ruby growled in mild offence, her heated gaze lifting up to match Weiss'.

"It's a compliment," she said as if it were a fact. "I'm quite weary of the company I keep."

"It really is," Coco concurred.

"Didn't sound like one," the redhead grumbled.

Velvet chuckled awkwardly, her arms pulling the chef closer to her body. "Weiss is just being shy," she said trying to make sense of her friend's obtuse phrasing. "This is actually the closest I've ever heard her compliment someone."

"I know right?" Coco added with a cringe. "I think the closest I ever got was a nonchalant shrug. Like I'd ask her, 'hey, babe! How do I look?' And she'd respond with an 'eh'."

"But I've heard her compliment me a dozen times." Ruby clamped her mouth shut when she saw Weiss' cheeks flush a rosy red.

"I-I was merely swept up in the moment," Weiss said trying to tape her aloof persona back together. "Anyway, enough about that. What's in the basket and what are you doing back here so soon? We had a deal, Adel."

Ignoring the harshness in Weiss' voice, Coco's face lit up in excitement as she tilted the basket forward to reveal its goods. Wild mushrooms of various shapes and sizes took up a small portion along side some fragrant herbs. A tall jar of red sap was nestled up against a corner held in place by some fresh picked garden vegetables. It was a colourful cornucopia filled with nature's delight and Coco was eager to play with it. Ruby supposed this was the chef's artistic medium judging by how she arranged her goods with complimenting colours in mind.

"Cottontail wanted to go for a morning stroll, so I figured I'd grab some stuff while we were at it."

Weiss quirked her left brow. "You drove an hour from her place to take a walk… _here_?"

"Yep."

" _Really_?"

"Yep, yep!"

"You seriously chose _here_ and _not_ the park she literally lives right next to?" Weiss glared at her friend taunting her to try and weasel out.

"Weiss, you're going to get wrinkles if you keep glaring at me like that," the tall brunette pointed out. "Plus, I wanted to make sure you ate breakfast and Velv's shitty park doesn't have a giant forest filled with all the free veg you could ever want."

"It's true," Velvet nodded sadly. "The groundskeeper does a really good job."

"Damn you and your food senses," Weiss muttered like a defeated villain.

Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Ruby asked, "Does Weiss skip out on meals often?"

"You've seen how skinny she is," Velvet answered with a knowing glint in her eyes. "Girl needs some meat on her bones!"

"I don't need to hear that from a vegan," the skinny woman in question shot back irately.

"Don't lump me in with those pretentious idiots," Velvet hissed venomously. "I'm a lactose intolerant vegetarian!"

"In short, you're butt hurt you can't eat ice-cream," Coco grinned.

"No, but that's what'll happen if I do eat ice-cream!" the rabbit Faunus cried. "Just thinking about it is enough to make my stomach churn…"

Ruby sat quietly in her chair watching the harmless back and forth banter like an unwitting spectator. It was honestly hilarious whenever Ruby understood the context. Weiss' dauntless dry wit going up against Coco's razor-sharp intellect and Velvet's comical rebuttals made for one amazing sitcom. Ruby could practically see the laugh track being cued in whenever someone opened their mouth to speak.

"Ugh, enough squabbling, we're burning daylight here," Weiss said as she shut her laptop down to focus on her friends. "Ruby, I hope you don't mind that our quiet morning together has been interrupted."

The redhead smiled. "It's okay," it really wasn't okay, but Weiss didn't need to know that. "I'm sure there's plenty more of 'em to come." Weiss nodded her head in solid agreement. "I should head on home though, my sister's probably ready to call in the army."

"Aw, you should call her and tell her you'll be a while longer! I'd love to get to know you better," Velvet said pleadingly. "If not, then you should at least stay for breakfast. I can assure you it'll be the best you'll ever have."

"I-I don't know…" Ruby rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "But I am kind of curious though…"

Coco pulled herself away from Velvet and carried the basket to the counter near the kitchen sink. She unpacked its contents carefully, giving each item a quick once over before either tossing it back or setting it down in the stainless-steel basin.

There was a loving look on Coco's face as she continued her appraisal that Ruby realized she respected. It was the same expression Yang wore whenever she helped pick out the plants her job needed from the nursery. Ruby had accompanied her sister on enough runs to tell that Coco's vegetables were all top tier and well grown.

"Velv, you think you can warm up those bread bowls you made? They should still be where you left 'em last."

"Aha, I get it now; you're going all out!" Velvet said when she pieced the ingredients together. "But hey, instead of the bread bowls, what if we kicked it up a notch? We can use the herbed dough we were saving for movie night and make some fresh baked bread."

"Baby, you're a genius!"

"I know," Velvet beamed confidently.

Ruby looked at Weiss questioningly, her eyes shifting between the two older women bringing the desolate kitchen to life.

"Huh?" Weiss caught the gaze and followed it curiously. "Oh."

"Honey bun, you've got the floor after I finish this, I need to head up to my room and take a quick shower," Coco told her girlfriend. She pulled out a beautiful head of romaine lettuce and slipped her fingers between the crisp dark green leaves, tearing off a couple layers. The sharp snap the stem made whenever she broke a leaf off sent a shiver up everyone's spines. "God damn that was sexy."

"I'd give it a solid seven out of ten," Weiss commented with a smirk.

"I'll give you a seven out of ten you bitch," Coco grumbled as she threateningly shook a dismembered leaf at her ex.

"I'd like to see you try!" Weiss shouted back defiantly. "Let's not forget that I was a runway model before you happened."

"Right back at'cha!" Coco shouted with an eye roll.

Rolling her eyes, Velvet snatched the offending leaf out of Coco's hand and slapped her in the face with it. "Stop being so childish!"

"Hey, don't blame this all on me!" Coco cried, pointing fingers at Weiss. "It was parsley her fault, too! Hit her with the leaf not me!"

"Good lord, Coco, you're giving me a headache!" the master of the house shouted. "Go to your room and shower already! You're covered in dirt; I don't want to know how much you've dragged into our home."

The chef rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom, but a little dirt's nothing compared to all the dust we have in here."

"Speaking of dust, you've lived here longer than I have! Why haven't you done any cleaning?" Weiss pointed out, surprising Ruby with the little nugget of information.

"I was busy opening the restaurant!" Coco argued. "I thought you were gunna hire help or something."

"Wait, wait, wait! _She_ lives here?" Ruby asked Weiss. "With you?"

"Mhm," Weiss nodded. "Do have a problem with that?"

"Um…" Ruby immediately backed down and fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding all eye contact.

"Ruby, this is a needlessly large estate. You could move your entire family in here and we'd never notice," the business woman stated flippantly. "Plus, this is just fiscally more feasible since most of Coco's money is tied to Fleur-de-lis."

"It's true," the brunette nodded. "But I'm starting to see the returns."

"She stays with me most of the time though," Velvet cut in sensing the rising tension. "Weiss' bathroom scares me…"

"We're going to do something about that," Weiss said trying to reassure her long eared friend. "I don't know how Coco's bathroom escaped the Marguerite curse."

"Pretty sure it was part of the servant's quarters," Coco answered with a shrug.

"Yes, but even those had a Marguerite in them," Weiss countered. "Yours is literally the only one."

"What if the Marguerites act as some sort of sealing ward that keeps a slumbering evil in the room trapped?" Velvet suggested.

"Please," Weiss said rolling her eyes, "the only demonic thing in that room is her collection of My Little Budgie toys. Surely you've seen those things by now? Horrific. Positively dreadful."

"But have you seen them popping up mysteriously around the house?" Velvet asked with a victorious smirk. "No. No you haven't, so there! Warding circle. I totally call it, so when one of you gets possessed, I'm doing to laugh and say I told you so… before getting brutally sacrificed to the demon lord for being stupid enough to come back to this hell hole."

The three friends quickly delved into a conversation trying to debunk the theories they each had about Coco's mysterious room. It was a mishmash of opinions ranging from the mundane to the downright outlandish.

"I think I'll pass on that breakfast," Ruby mumbled, her voice drowned out by the other's loud conversation.

Velvet's ears twitch in Ruby's direction, drawing her to look at the dejected redhead. "Aw, alright, I understand. If you have to go, you have to go right?"

"C'mon red, don't be a party pooper; stick around! We were finally just getting to know each other," Coco said after Velvet nudged her in the ribs.

"If that is what you wish, then have a safe drive home." The words Weiss spoke were cold and distant while her face remained neutral. And even though she hid it, Ruby could hear the disappointment ring clear. "Shall I escort you to the door?" she politely offered, but Ruby shook her head and declined. "Alright then, call me when you get home."

There was venom in that request, the sort that burned annoyingly beneath the skin.

Ruby nervously nodded. "Y-Yeah."

Silence permeated in the kitchen putting a heavy damper on the jovial mood. The three women left behind listened for the sound of the front door opening and closing before resuming their previous activities. Ruby must've gotten lost somewhere along the line, because it took her a good seven minutes to stomp down the porch steps and into her car.

"Someone had a good night," Coco waggled her eyebrows.

Weiss' friendly smile died down to a simper when she said, "For the most part."

Curious, the chef crossed her arms and asked, "What's wrong? Date not go as planned?"

"No, it went fine, but I don't think I'll see her again after this," Weiss answered quietly.

Velvet gasped, "But I thought you really liked her?" Weiss nodded her head. "Then why aren't you going to see her again?"

"I realized a little too late that she has some growing up to do," Weiss answered, sneaking a glance at her best friend.

Coco caught the look and asked, "Was it something I said? I can chase after her and apologize if I did."

"No, it wasn't anything you said or did," Weiss told her with a weak smile. "She just doesn't like how close we are."

"Uh," Coco scratched her head, "I did introduce Velv as my girlfriend, right?"

"You did," the woman chuckled. "Sort of."

"She's got an inferiority complex and you, my friend, apparently intimidate her," Weiss said pointing a finger at Coco who pointed at herself in turn. "Yes, you. Who else could I be referring to?"

"I guess I kind of rattled her more than I thought I did when I sent you to go cool off yesterday," Coco admitted, feeling the weight of her guilt on her shoulders. "I'm sorry Weiss, I only wanted to make sure she was good enough for you."

"Don't worry," Weiss said, waving her off. "It's probably better this way, I really don't have time to waste on a relationship right now; the first semester is starting soon."

"Right, right, Professor Schnee is about to make her teaching debut!" the tall chef beamed. "Now c'mon Velv, we gotta start breakfast ASAP or else we'll be late for the lunch rush."

The long haired brunette nodded and got back to work. She was kneading her pre-prepped dough and sectioning it off with a master's eye for detail. While she did this, Velvet's mind wandered over to the events that transpired mere moments ago.

Velvet understood Ruby's concerns better than her two companions did since she had been in the same situation. She met Coco a couple years back during one of the chef's visits to Vale. Coco was still married to Weiss during that time, but it didn't stop them from getting together. Weiss took the affair particularly well and they became fast friends over a spot of tea; that was one of her stranger experiences with the heiress.

"Ugh, I really need that shower," Coco groaned as she pulled a small twig out from her hair. "How did that even get in there?"

"Hurry up and go, I'll keep Weiss company," Velvet said smiling at the stoic woman gazing forlornly out the window. "She looks about ready to recite sappy poetry."

"Don't even joke about that!" Coco exclaimed as she washed her hands. "She got a ninety-nine out of a hundred once and started a soliloquy in class."

"That monologue got my grade bumped up to a hundred," Weiss pointed out proudly.

Coco rolled her eyes, shaking her hands free of any lingering water droplets. "Yeah to get you to shut up about it."

"At least I passed my classes unlike a certain someone who almost got held back twice."

"And whose fault was that, hm?" Coco grinned slyly.

"Yours," both Weiss and Velvet deadpanned.

Coco froze on the spot and chuckled nervously. "R-Right, um," she stuttered, "I'm going to… er, go. Now. Bye!"

The tall brunette dashed out of the room as fast as her long legs could carry her, leaving Weiss and Velvet alone with their thoughts. The two women gave each other a brief knowing look before returning to their previous activities.

Velvet worked her dough, getting each loaf ready for the oven. She figured she'd bake them all at once and serve what they didn't eat for breakfast at the café as a limited time special. A small smile graced her lips when she thought of the stone hearth deck ovens Weiss bought for the estate and her little start-up bakery situated beside Fleur-de-lis. The one here was small in comparison to the four decked behemoths she had waiting for her in the bakery. She owed a lot to Weiss, literally. The amount of money the heiress lent her was so monumental, the interest alone would've been enough to bankrupt Velvet three times over… that is if Weiss hadn't insisted on giving it all to her for free.

"Hey, Weiss?" Velvet said quietly, her ears folding back as she thought about what happened with Ruby.

"Hm?" Weiss didn't look up from her laptop.

"Are you sure you want to give up on her so easily?"

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "Who? Coco? I've given up on that train wreck years ago, she's your problem now."

"No, not Coco. I meant Ruby," Velvet giggled politely. Coco was a bit of a mess now that she thought about it.

"What about her?" Weiss inquired with a heavy drawn out sigh. "I meant what I said."

"But you obviously like her," Velvet said, turning to face her.

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

Velvet looked at Weiss unconvinced. "You slept with her didn't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have kicked Coco out of the house."

"So what if I did?" Weiss bristled. "We're both consenting adults."

"But you're not the one night stand kind of person. You wanted a relationship with her."

"I did, but now I don't. Simple," Weiss said getting rather annoyed at her ex-wife's girlfriend.

"Is it really though?"

Weiss shut her laptop and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing in exasperation. She did not need these questions today or ever. "Velvet, can you please just cut to the chase?" she said, eyes still shut tight.

"Alright," Velvet said as she marched up to her friend. "I think you should reconsider. I was in Ruby's place once, remember? I still feel terrible for being the reason you and Coco got divorced so suddenly—"

"Don't flatter yourself, honey," Weiss drawled on bitterly. "Coco and I divorced because we were happier as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Really? Because I remember a certain someone barricading themselves in the bathroom for an hour when she found out."

"You two chose a shitty time to pop the big reveal," Weiss seethed as she rose out of her chair. She stood up to Velvet with a furious glare and said, "But I'm over that. I'm happy for you two. You're one of my best friends now, Velvet, but that doesn't mean you can waltz in here and pick at old wounds pretending like you had any part of it! I was prepared to let her go. You were the one that finally made her happy and that's all I could ever ask for."

"Weiss, I—"

"Enough!" Weiss said sternly. "This conversation is over. Whatever niggling notion you have about paying me any debts or kindness needs to stop, understand? Let this be the end of it."

"I-I understand, Weiss…"

The heiress looked at Velvet carefully and nodded. "Good. And for what it's worth, Velvet, I never blamed you. Not even once," she said with a small smile. "So don't break her heart by thinking it was your fault, alright? Coco's stretched thin between us as it is, so don't let her get wrapped up in my problems. Whatever's going to happen between Ruby and I will depend on Ruby herself. If she wants me then she'll have to accept my past, just like you did with Coco's."

"Okay, no meddling from the peanut gallery," Velvet acquiesced respectfully. Weiss looked at her disbelievingly. "I swear we won't meddle."

"If you meddle, I cancel my investments. And I mean _all_ of my investments."

Velvet bit her bottom lip; Weiss really had her in a bind. "I swear on my mother's grave."

"Judith's still alive!" Weiss barked in laughter. "But good enough for me."

The two women smiled at each other, letting bygones be bygones. Velvet went back to her dough and Weiss back on her laptop. A comfortable silence had fallen between them in a matter of seconds as they focused on their tasks.

Velvet started humming a happy little tune as she prepared the last of her gluten babies for the preheated oven. Weiss cautiously glanced up at her and subtly adjusted her laptop to hide the screen from view. She opened up her web browser and switched to one of the many tabs she had lined up. The page took half a second to load and to Weiss' dismay, it had sent her back to the top where the headline stared back at her mockingly:

 _ **Atlas Jury finds Whitley Schnee not guilty of first-degree murder; SDC rejoices at his release.**_

 _Whitley Schnee, 21 at the time of arrest, now aged 22, was accused of orchestrating the accident that claimed the lives of his mother, Adeline Schnee, 51; his father, Jacques Schnee, 57; elder sister Winter Schnee, 33; his young niece, Chrys Schnee-Adel, 2; and their private family chauffeur, Hans Albright, 48. The Schnee family's second daughter Weiss Schnee, 23 at the time of the accident, was the only survivor; she was found in critical condition several feet from the crash site when paramedics arrived on scene. The accused was not present during the accident, citing an earlier commitment to oversee a large factory shipment. The alibi was later confirmed by several SDC employees and managers, as well as CCTV recordings, and statement receipts._

 _The family was reportedly on their way to a company hosted gala in Northern Rosenheim when their driver noticed something was wrong. Their vehicle swerved and broke through the guardrail, careening down the mountain and into the forest below. Police forensic specialists immediately suspected foul play and found traces of tampering in the vehicle's wreckage…_

Weiss touched the apex of her scar and gritted her teeth as she closed the three day old article and all the other tabs linking her to similar stories. After the browser closed, all that was left on the laptop was the wallpaper.

A small girl with shoulder length mocha coloured hair and bright blue eyes was staring at Weiss, who was behind the camera taking the picture. She looked like a little patch of spring in front of her glossy white bedroom door dressed in a tasteful green and gold dress; the only Schnee in the family allowed to wear something other than their trademark whites and blues. The toddler had a big toothy smile on her face as she held out a small bouquet of colourful chrysanthemums for Weiss to take.

The picture was taken three hours before the accident, a beautiful reminder of what Weiss lost that day.

 _'He got away with it,'_ she thought to herself with a wry mental laugh, dragging her hand down to cover her damaged left eye. _'That slimy bastard actually got away with it.'_

* * *

 **I'm so excited I finally get to reveal the reason behind Weiss' scar! There's more to it than this though.**

 **Next chapter is going to be fun, fun, fun! Let's just hope I don't forget to upload and post it like I did with this chapter.**

 **Please drop a review and let me know your thoughts.**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine: The Map that Leads to You**

* * *

Ruby stomped down the porch steps, ignoring the giant, fluffy brown wagging tail poking out from the tall grass, and marched straight to her car. She paused for a second pondering about what she'd do about Freddy. He was supposed to be Weiss' gift, but Ruby had grown rather attached to him. And judging by the state of Weiss' lawn, Ruby had to wonder how good Weiss was with plants. The woman looked like she'd willingly replace anything that wasn't perfect or up to her lofty standards, which, Ruby snidely figured, was still perfect.

"Just like her stupid ex-wife," Ruby grumbled as she got into her car. "Look at me, I'm Coco. I'm so sexy and confident. I can cook and pick out vegetables and speak a different language, aren't I just the best?"

The engine roared to life and purred as Ruby shifted gears. The sudden momentum jostled Freddy in his pot, scratching his scraggly branches against the cabin.

"My impression was pretty spot on, huh?" Ruby chuckled. "Wanna hear me do Weiss?" FREDDY stood stock still. "That totally came out wrong, but you're still a bit of a perv aren't ya, Fred-pear?"

The ficus shifted slightly to the right, moving with the momentum when Ruby adjusted the vehicle's path.

"Oh so now you wanna hear it?" Ruby didn't wait for her leafy comrade to comment. She sucked in a deep breath, and in the highest register her voice could produce, she said, "Ruby, you complete and utter dolt! How dare you keep making an ass of yourself before me like a child! Be thankful you're at least somewhat adequate— _Adequate_? That's all she seriously had to say about me? Just adequate?! God that fucking pisses me off!"

Ruby drove out of Weiss' property as fast as she safely could, not wanting to spend another minute anywhere near the godforsaken place. She sped out of the gated community, maneuvering expertly through the light morning traffic, muttering a slew of heated profanities that didn't make a lick of sense to anyone but her. She was feeling a myriad of emotions ranging from bitterness to downright furious.

"Who the fuck does she think she is, Freddy?" Ruby asked her withering ficus in the back seat. "Ughh, I shouldn't have slept with her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!"

Even though she said those things out loud, Ruby didn't regret giving her virginity to Weiss. The older woman had kept her word and made Ruby's first time something special. She was gentle and thoughtful through it and always made sure Ruby was comfortable before trying something new.

Ruby blushed hard thinking about all the things Weiss did to her.

"God damn it, Ruby, keep it together."

It was easier said than done. By the time she was half way home, Ruby's lascivious thoughts cooled, leaving behind the ones that appreciated Weiss' icy yet refreshing beauty. She stopped thinking about the way Weiss' hand gripped her hair or how her nails raked down her scalp, and instead focused on how dainty her slender fingers looked holding her mug. Ruby couldn't help the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips when she reimagined walking in on Weiss' morning routine.

Step by step, Ruby recreated the scene as faithfully as she could. From the warm sunlight spilling in from the window to the gentle sway the steam rose from Weiss' coffee; Ruby could see it all. She especially loved the way Weiss' fluffy white hair looked in the morning light. It was fairly neat but it was still quite obvious that she had just woken up. Weiss hadn't bothered putting up any pretences, she was completely natural and in her element. It was almost as if she'd forgotten Ruby was still there or perhaps she was just letting Ruby know she was comfortable in her own special way.

The thoughts continued to swarm Ruby like a plague of voracious locusts from there on, each one taking a big chunk out of her mental fortitude, wearing her down and reminding her that anger was not the answer.

The first invasive memory was of Coco walking in with Velvet, wearing that infuriating smug grin like she owned the place. The woman had literally done nothing except exist in the same plane of existence as Weiss, and yet that was all it took to trigger Ruby's jealousy. Coco was kind, courteous, funny, and charming, an overall delight to be around. She also made sure to include Ruby in the conversation whenever possible even though she didn't have to. It's no wonder Coco managed to keep both Weiss and Velvet, she was like a big puppy with an abundance of love to give.

Ruby knew right away, from the moment Weiss agreed to a date, that the last thing she ever wanted to do was share her. It terrified her the first time she thought about it. Ruby wasn't territorial or possessive by nature. She needed freedom and plenty of room to thrive, so she refused to apply any restriction to others like what she'd done with Jaune for instance. She wanted him to be independent and do things on his own with whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and whether it was with her or with someone else it didn't matter; she just wanted him happy. So when Jaune finally exercised his right to choose, Ruby never expected that he'd cheat on her with Pyrrha.

It wasn't much of a surprise now that Ruby could look back on it with a clear head. So instead of agonizing over something she had no control over, she let it go. Ruby didn't what to shackle him down if he was unhappy with her. And she most definitely didn't want to spend the rest of her life looking behind her back, waiting for the dagger to finally sink into her back. But that's what made her last relationship different from her tentative one with Weiss. There was no need for her to feel paranoid since Weiss had been forthright with her from the start. Weiss didn't need to sneak around, she could literally get what she wanted whenever she wanted and no one could stop her. Ruby certainly didn't have the strength to dissuade Weiss judging by how easily she let her take her to bed last night. Weiss just asked and she said yes, simple.

Ruby slowly ran a hand through her hair, pushing her bangs back as her fingers roved over her scalp, massaging the stress away. She was within the city, stopped before the world's longest red light.

"Freddy, what am I going to do?" Ruby whimpered into the steering wheel once she finally calmed down. She was fifteen minutes away from home, too far from Weiss' to turn around and drive back to apologize. "I can't believe I just left like that. Weiss must hate me for embarrassing her in front of Velvet and Coco."

The ficus said nothing but a leaf did fall from a branch which was a good enough answer for Ruby—terrible for Freddy though, since he didn't have that many healthy leaves left.

"You're right, I should let things settle down before I do anything," Ruby sighed.

She was five minutes away from home now with a much clearer head thanks to Freddy's sagely wisdom. Ruby no longer felt guilty for suddenly leaving, it really was for the best in the end. Seeing Weiss with Coco brought up certain things about herself that Ruby needed to figure out.

"Huh? It's a work day, why's the camero still here?"

Dread quickly wormed its way into Ruby's stomach as she parked her rover next to Yang's car. The house was suspiciously quiet, something that only happened when Blake was home alone.

"Moment of truth," Ruby said with a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. "Let's do this."

Ruby got out of the car and cautiously headed towards the front door. She had the key held tightly and breathed in deep to calm her racing heart. She missed the keyhole the first, second, and third time she tried inserting the key into the lock due to her trembling, but eventually got it on her fourth try after a minute long pep talk. After she successfully unlocked the door, Ruby spent a second wondering if this was what it was like trying to get home after a long night of drinking.

 _'I bet Coco would waltz in with that ridiculous East Atlas accent,'_ Ruby thought pessimistically. _'Ou bonjour mi amore—or something! Ugh, get a grip, Ruby!'_

The door silently creaked open as Ruby nervously poked her head inside to scope out the situation, her thoughts still haunting her with the imaginary look of disappointment on Weiss' face. All the lights were off and the only sound she could hear was the quiet hum of their old refrigerator and their leaky kitchen faucet. Still on high alert, Ruby entered her sister's house and flicked on the living room light switch.

"Congrats on the sex!" Yang screamed at the top of her lungs as she popped out from the kitchen. She was holding a medium sized rectangular cake with a simple frosting scheme; white base and messy red frills skirting the bottom and top. The words "Congrats On the Sex" were crudely spelled out from chopped up red licorice.

Blake stepped out from behind Yang looking dead tired. "There, she's home. Can I go to sleep now?"

"What?! Blakey, aren't you the least bit curious?"

"…" Blake sighed and made her way to the couch where she plopped down and waited. "Just a bit."

Yang's impish grin widened as she joined Blake and set the cake down on the coffee table. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!" she chanted excitedly. Ruby groaned and sat down on the recliner. "You didn't come home last night so you totally gotta dish, sister!"

"It was your typical first date, Yang," Ruby said trying desperately to downplay what happened. "We met up, had dinner, then I drove her back home."

"Aaand?" Yang's eyebrows waggled suggestively.

"She let me stay the night because it was past midnight, woke up, had breakfast, met her wife, the end."

Yang and Blake blinked in unison. "What?" the dumbfounded duo gasped.

"Yup."

"Back the fuck up and hold the phone," Yang said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Her _wife_?"

"Eeyup. You heard me the first time."

"She's married?!"

Ruby mussed up her hair and finger-combed it back with a sigh. "She's really her ex-wife, but they're so close they might as well still be married or joined at the hip or something weird like that."

"So they're not married?" Blake said in trying to get her head around the strange events going around her.

"Not anymore," Ruby answered with an upturned lip. "Weiss didn't go into any specific details, just said it made it onto the news. Weird."

Yang crossed her arms clearly displeased. "Did you sleep with her?"

"Uh," Ruby blinked, "the writing's in the cake."

"Okay. Right. Let me just get this all straight," Yang said, taking a moment to think, "you're upset because Hero Girl was married before?"

"No! Um, maybe…" Ruby slumped forward, her head cradled in her hands. "I swear everything was going great. I might've messed up a little in the beginning and middle of it, but I picked up my act by the time we left the restaurant—which her god damn ex-wife owns by the way! What kind of bullshit is that?!"

"Wow, you really don't like her, huh?" Yang nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "She can't be that bad of a person if they can maintain a healthy platonic relationship. It is only platonic right? No smooshing in the sidelines?"

"Coco's got a new girlfriend who Weiss apparently gets along really great with," Ruby answered with a bitter grumble. "Velvet seems okay too, but I don't know how she can stand it. I mean, I'm not even dating Weiss yet and I still couldn't stop myself from storming out! How does she handle knowing her girlfriend lives with her ex? I mean, that's just weird!"

Blake blinked in disbelief, her mouth slightly ajar as she patiently watched Yang and Ruby argue. "C-Could you repeat that name again please?"

"Velvet?" Ruby answered, snapping her attention over to Blake.

"No… the ex. The one with the restaurant."

"Urk!" Ruby flinched, her face reminding everyone about what she not-so-secretly thought of her lover's former paramour. The look on Blake's face didn't leave any room for Ruby to weasel out of so she reluctantly repeated her arch nemesis' name. "Coco," she whispered like a curse.

"Adel?" Ruby nodded, Blake balked, and Yang squealed. "Hero girl—Weiss… you, uh, never told us her last name."

Ruby felt a strange giddiness take over her when her thoughts shifted gears to the beautiful woman. "Schnee. Weiss Schnee," she answered.

"Uh, Blake?" Yang quipped, her eyes darting back and forth between the two most important people in her life. "Did Ruby—"

"Sleep with your celebrity crush's ex-wife?"

"Yeah. That."

Ruby blushed and buried her face in her hands trying to disappear from existence.

"Eeyup."

 _SMACK!_

Surprised, the three women looked at their living room window and saw a familiar face pressed comically against the glass.

"Guy, guys, guys!" A boyish voice chanted excitedly. "LET ME IN! LET ME IN! I have some seriously big news!"

"No!" they yelled in unison.

"Sun, it's my day off!" Yang screamed in frustration as she menacingly stomped to the window. "Tell me in the morning. After my coffee. And definitely not before I get into the office!"

Sun wriggled on the spot conflicted between blurting out his message or waiting like he'd been asked to. He watched haplessly as his temperamental co-worker reach for the pull cord to shut him out and, at the last second, he caved in.

"We just landed a million dollar contract!" he screamed.

Yang stopped. "What?" she blurted out. "Did I hear you right?" Sun nodded his head vigorously.

"Neptune's still hashing out the boring details with the client, but it's looking like the solid million _plus_ whatever funds we need to get the job done!" Sun explained through the glass window. "We can probably ask for all new equipment like cutters and shit."

"We are running low on fertilizer…" Yang mumbled in deep thought.

"We'll also get free food and drink!"

"Why didn't you start with that?!" Yang screamed angrily. "Ruby let him in. Now!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and obediently did what she was told. Yang's roof; Yang's rules.

Sun wasted no time getting into the house and stealing Ruby's spot on the small couch. He noticed the congratulatory cake right away and asked about it before his brain could properly process the writing on it.

"Can I have some of that?" he asked, eyeing the thick white icing hungrily.

"Dunno, ask Ruby. It's her cake."

Sun looked to the redhead pleadingly. "Please?"

"Go right ahead, Sun." Ruby smiled at him wryly wondering if he bothered to read the writing.

"Oh, gratz on the sex," he chimed in with a mouthful of cake. "Was it Penny? Because finally! That girl's been crushin' on you since she was in middle school."

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes bulging.

"What?" Sun repeated after swallowing.

"S-Since middle school?" she gasped. Sun nodded his head and cut another slice. "Was I seriously the only one that didn't know?" Everyone in the room nodded their head. "Oh god damn it!"

"How could you not know?" Blake asked. "She followed you around like a lost puppy."

"I thought she was being friendly!"

"Ruby, that girl was hella gay for you," Yang chuckled beside Blake. "I was honestly rooting for her until you met Weiss."

"Ughhhhh!" Ruby threw herself at the door dramatically. "No wonder she's so pissed at me!"

"How would you know? You haven't spoken to her in days," Blake added dryly.

"So it wasn't Penny?" Sun asked Yang.

"Naw," she laughed, "but let's just say Ruby beat Blake in terms of who fucked the bigger celebrity."

"I didn't know you counted as a celebrity," Blake teased.

"Baby, I'm a superstar and you know it!"

"True."

Ruby buried her head deeper into her hands, groaning loudly, praying for her torment to end. What she did with Weiss wasn't worth this attention—it was private! She didn't go around asking Sun about the latest notch on his bedpost or bothering Blake and Yang about what they did in their room, so why anyone would bother going to these lengths just to gossip was beyond her. Her family was weird, Ruby concluded with a defeated sigh.

"So who was it?" the boy asked eagerly between bites.

"Weiss Schnee," Ruby answered begrudgingly, rolling her eyes at the incoming jibes.

Sun's fork clattered on the floor. "This just got a whole lot more awkward," he said scrunching his face at the lovingly crafted word on his cake.

"Why?" Yang asked upset that her floor had been sullied. "You're cleaning that up by the way."

"Yeah, sorry… but, uh, I think she's our new client," he answered awkwardly pushing the licorice spelling "Sex" off of his cake with his reclaimed fork. "I don't think I'll be able to look at our new boss without thinking about this."

"Yet you're still eating it," Blake said with a tired smirk.

"Why wouldn't I? Yang's cakes are the best!" he exclaimed taking another big bite to punctuate his remark. "So good…"

"I won't take all the credit," Yang said bashfully. "I got the recipe off my favourite cooking show."

"You watch the cooking channel?" Ruby asked genuinely intrigued.

Yang nodded her head. "It's on super early so I record it and watch it before bed. Coco's a genius in the kitchen, I love her! What's she like in person—I mean, crud, I'm sorry."

"No it's alright. I really shouldn't be this upset. Coco's, well, she's," Ruby paused and sighed in defeat, "… great. You'll probably run in to her from time to time."

"You've been to the jobsite?" Sun asked.

"Why do you think you're eating that cake?" Ruby shot back sarcastically. "But yeah, I've been to the site. You guys are going to have your work cut out for you. Rosewood Mansion looks like a haunted house with how overgrown it is. The front yard alone might take a couple of days to clean and rescape."

"What about the backyard?" Yang asked this time around.

"A literal forest," Ruby answered. "Weiss owns a portion of Forever falls and the land leading up to it is just, if not worse, like the front."

"I'll let Nep know when I head back," Sun said digesting both Ruby's words and her cake.

Ruby smoothed down her hair and sighed.

"You're doing a lot of sighing there," Sun said being the first one to notice. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," Ruby replied anxiously. "Today's just been a little…"

Blake cut in with an understanding, "Taxing?"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded.

"I guess that's my cue to get out of your hair," Sun said with a soft smile. "Thanks for letting me in guys."

Yang patted Sun on the back and got off the couch to lead him to the door. "Call me with the details when you see Neptune," she said pulling him in to their usual bro hug.

"Will do," Sun returned the hug and waved at Blake and Ruby. "I'll catch you guys later and thanks for the heads up about the site, Ruby. We're probably going to need your help again soon."

"Y-Yeah…" Ruby said waving back weakly.

Once Sun was gone Ruby took back her spot on the couch, plopping face first into the cushions, her forehead comfortably rested on Blake's lap. Blake let out a soft chuckle as she stroked Ruby's hair and watched Yang take Ruby's old spot on the recliner.

"Yang looks like she's ready to burst with questions," Blake said, her teasing smile drawing a blush out of Yang. "Can she ask them or no?"

Ruby weakly nodded her head. She honestly didn't want to talk about Coco or even think about her for the next fifty years, but Ruby could understand Yang's excitement. Being a chef and owning her own restaurant had always been Yang's dream. She took to the kitchen like a fish took to water, but culinary school was expensive and time consuming.

"He… didn't clean up the floor!" Yang screamed as she shot out of her chair and knelt down to pick up the debris.

"We did kind of kick him out before he could," Ruby said feeling a little guilty.

"Doesn't matter, I'm going to murder him!"

"I still find it hilarious that people think I'm the neat freak in this relationship," Blake said unable to hold back her laughter.

Ruby scoffed at Blake. "At least you didn't have to deal with her growing up. If you think she's bad now, you should have seen her when we lived with Dad."

"Oh, I can imagine," Blake continued to chuckle **.**

"I'm going to strangle his stupid beefy neck," Yang continued to grumble. "He'll rue the day! Rue it I tell ya!"

Shaking her head in exasperation, Blake lovingly called out to Yang.

"What?!" the blonde snapped, her eyes seeing red.

"You missed a spot."


End file.
